← Honoré Daumier

Plate 25: Robert Macaire, the genteel beggar, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Original title: Plate 25: Robert Macaire, the genteel beggar, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

1838

Medium

Lithograph on wove paper; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 9 11/16 × 8 1/2 in. (24.6 × 21.6 cm) Sheet: 13 7/16 × 10 1/16 in. (34.2 × 25.6 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

This lithograph by Honoré Daumier dates from 1838 and belongs to the circle of the 'Caricaturana' series. It presents two figures in an urban setting: a finely dressed gentleman in a top hat and a beggar asking for alms. Executed as a lithograph on wove paper, the sheet is the third state of three (Delteil).

Description

At the left foreground stands a man in a top hat, long coat and sash, a walking stick in his hand, his gaze fixed on his counterpart. Beside him on the right is a beggar wearing a cap, jacket and trousers rolled up at the knee, carrying a bowl and extending his free hand. A small dog stands between the two. The background hints at other figures and buildings. The lithograph remains monochrome in shades of gray, with sharply defined light and shadow edges that make both figures stand out.

Context

Paris, 1838: the lithograph falls into a period of political and social tension during the July Monarchy. For the 'Caricaturana' series, Daumier developed the type of Robert Macaire, an embodiment of ruthless business dealings and hypocrisy. The series was published in the journal 'Les Robert Macaires' and took aim at bourgeois double standards and social inequality.

Impact

The contrast between the elegant gentleman and the begging figure makes an immediate impression. The comedy of the scene is pointed, yet it remains open enough to prompt reflection on social conditions without pointing a finger.

Technique

Lithography on wove paper: in this printing process, a design is drawn on a stone with greasy chalk and then printed. The present copy corresponds to the third of three states (Delteil), indicating later reworking of the plate. The gradations in gray and the clearly contoured lines are characteristic of Daumier's lithographic method.

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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)