← Honoré Daumier

Plate 5: Robert Macaire as notary public, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Original title: Plate 5: Robert Macaire as notary public, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

1838

Medium

Color lithograph on wove paper; third state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 8 5/16 × 9 13/16 in. (21.1 × 24.9 cm) Sheet: 10 3/16 × 13 3/8 in. (25.8 × 34 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph in 1838, setting two men against each other in a comic confrontation: on the left, a gentleman in a dark suit smokes a pipe; on the right, a man in a patterned coat and red trousers sits holding a document. This colour print on wove paper is the third of three states (Delteil).

Description

Two figures dominate the image: a standing man in a dark suit with white stockings and a pipe on the left, facing a seated man in a long patterned coat and red trousers who holds a document or book. Above them hang signs bearing inscriptions such as '200000 f', 'UN MILLION DE FRIMES', 'BENEFICES ANTICHISSÉS' and '0000 FRIM', pointing to a financial transaction. A yellow sky fills the background. Strong colours and clear lines are characteristic of nineteenth-century lithography.

Context

This caricature belongs to the 'Caricaturana' series, published in the French satirical journal 'Les Robert Macaires'. Robert Macaire was an invented figure who became a symbol of unscrupulous business dealings and fraud in July Monarchy France. Together with the writer Charles Philipon, Daumier used the series to denounce social abuses and corruption.

Impact

Exaggerated figures and the absurd numbers on the signs create a comic yet critical tone. The hypocrisy and greed of the business world shown are exposed without losing aesthetic lightness. Lively colours and a clear layout make this print a striking example of political caricature.

Technique

The print was produced by colour lithography on wove paper; Daumier drew the stone with precise lines and applied flat areas of colour. This technique allowed rapid and inexpensive reproduction, which was crucial for distribution in satirical journals. The third state represents a revised version, as was usual for the final publication.

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