← Honoré Daumier

Plate 36: Well? Well? What about your dowry?, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires

Original title: Plate 36: Well? Well? What about your dowry?, 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 5/8 × 8 7/16 in. (24.5 × 21.4 cm) Sheet: 13 3/8 × 10 3/16 in. (34 × 25.8 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953

kurzbeschreibung

Honoré Daumier made this print in 1838 as plate 36 of his Caricaturana series, published in Les Robert Macaires. The lithograph is the third and final state (Delteil). It presents a tense encounter between a woman and a man in an interior, marked by caricatural exaggeration.

Description

A woman has taken a seat on a sofa, her hands covering her face as if she is crying or startled. Her long-sleeved dress stands out with a striking pattern. Opposite her, a man crouches on the floor and looks up at her; his posture and expression seem troubled. A shelf with a statue can be seen in the background. The arrangement stays simple and sketchy, in monochrome gray tones that bring out contours and shadows. Frontal light places the two figures clearly in view.

Context

For the satirical journal Le Charivari, Daumier devised the Caricaturana series, which took aim at bourgeois society and its moral attitudes. Robert Macaire, a recurring rogue and impostor, embodied corruption and hypocrisy in Daumier's work. This plate appeared during the July Monarchy, when political and social satire flourished in France. Lithography served Daumier as a medium for pointed commentary on the social ills of his time.

Impact

The exaggerated gestures and faces seem comic at first glance, yet also oppressive, because the human situation is serious. The spare, sketchy line gives the sheet spontaneity and liveliness, reinforcing the satirical intent. Viewers are prompted to reflect on the relationship shown and its social implications.

Technique

The work is a lithograph on wove paper: a fatty crayon is drawn on a stone, from which the print is then taken. This impression is the third state of three, indicating later revisions to the printing plate. The process allows fine gradations of gray and a dynamic line, characteristic of Daumier's style.

AI-generated description text

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