← Honoré Daumier

Plate 3: Robert Macaire, journalist, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Le Charivari, September 10, 1836

Original title: Plate 3: Robert Macaire, journalist, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Le Charivari, September 10, 1836

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Date

September 10, 1836

Medium

Lithograph on newsprint; second state of three (Delteil)

Dimensions

Image: 8 9/16 × 10 1/2 in. (21.8 × 26.7 cm) Sheet: 10 1/16 × 12 5/16 in. (25.5 × 31.3 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Robert Macaire, an invented journalist figure, sprawls on a sofa reading a newspaper in this 1836 lithograph by Honoré Daumier. The print belongs to the Caricaturana series and appeared on September 10, 1836, in the satirical journal Le Charivari. Daumier's drawing mocks the press of the day and the type of the unscrupulous reporter.

Description

A man in a patterned shirt lies at ease on a sofa, a newspaper sheet in his hands. Two men in suits stand to his left and right, talking with him. Behind the group, pages of newsprint with columns of text hint at the journalistic setting. A lettered panel at the bottom carries the title "Robert Macaire Journaliste." The layout stays monochrome in shades of gray, with even light and no strong shadows.

Context

The print dates from the July Monarchy, when press freedom was curtailed and papers like Le Charivari ran caricatures critical of the government. Daumier devised Robert Macaire as an emblem of corruption and moral decay. The Caricaturana series (1836–1838) parodied Parisian social types, and here it took aim at journalists as a profession. About 500 copies were printed; this impression is the second of three states.

Impact

The exaggerated figure of the reclining journalist is funny and accusatory at once, exposing the laziness and arrogance of press men. The calm, almost stage-like grouping of the figures sharpens the satirical tone. The sheet invites a smile but also leaves something to think about.

Technique

The lithograph was printed on newsprint, a process that allowed fast, cheap reproduction for mass-circulation papers. Fine lines and hatching shape the drawing, as is typical of Daumier's caricatures. The sheet measures 21.8 × 26.7 cm and is represented here by the second of three states.

AI-generated description text

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