← Honoré Daumier

Plate 17: We're shareholders in the Institute of Agriculture..., from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Original title: Plate 17: We're shareholders in the Institute of Agriculture..., from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

1838

Medium

Lithograph on wove paper; sixth state of six (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 8 9/16 × 10 11/16 in. (21.7 × 27.1 cm) Sheet: 10 1/4 × 13 3/8 in. (26 × 34 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike the other prints in the series, this 1838 lithograph by Honoré Daumier shows three men not in frantic action but in emphatic stillness. The image belongs to the 'Caricaturana' series, published in 'Les Robert Macaires', and presents the protagonists as supposed shareholders who have settled at a table.

Description

Three seated figures cluster around a tabletop, the arrangement deliberately balanced. On the left sits a man in a top hat and patterned jacket, legs crossed, one arm on the chair back. In the middle a person in uniform with a wide belt and cap takes a place, arms folded, gaze slightly upward. On the right another man, wearing a cap and jacket, also crosses his arms and tilts his head. A jug, cup, and plate rest on the table; behind them a shelf is suggested. The print remains black and white throughout, with even light and no harsh shadows.

Context

Daumier created the 'Caricaturana' series with the writer Charles Philipon; it began appearing in the satirical paper 'Le Charivari' in 1836. Behind the figure of Robert Macaire, a swindler and impostor, lay a well-known caricature of the bourgeoisie and the speculative dealings of the July Monarchy. The target was the corruption and cynicism of the financial world in those years.

Impact

Because the figures sit so symmetrically and remain so still, the print approaches a group portrait. That is precisely where the satirical sting lies: the respectable facade is in tension with the criminal content. The spare linework and the absence of shading bring facial expressions and gestures to the fore, and from them speak self-satisfaction and arrogance.

Technique

The medium is lithography on wove paper, present here in the sixth state of six (Delteil). The drawing uses fine, sometimes bold lines that capture facial features and clothing precisely. The black-and-white print heightens the graphic effect and the caricatural exaggeration.

AI-generated description text

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