A Rare 19th Century Honore Daumier Caricature from the "Types Parisiens" Series

This rare Daumier lithograph is presented in a silver wood frame with inner and outer black trim and a mauve mat. There are several spots, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. It is offered in an identical style frame and mat to another Daumier caricature listed. They would make an attractive and interesting display grouping. A 20% discount is available for purchase of the pair.

The journal La Caricature was founded after the censorship laws had been relaxed following the July Revolution of 1830 in which Louis Philippe came to power. It covered both politics and art. The journal became increasingly vocal in its opposition to Louis-Philippe, and was seized more than twelve times. The publishers were prosecuted and the government forced the magazine to close in 1835. It reopened in 1838 and continued pulling until 1843.

The most famous artistic contributor to La Caricature as well as to another political and satirical magazine, Le Charivari, was Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879), who was a French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor. His work often focused on French common people, the legal profession and in particular judges, as well as politicians, frequently communicating his views on the social and political life in France in the 19th century. Baudelaire stated that "he was one of the most important men, not only, I would say, in caricature, but also in modern art". Daumier's works are found in many of the world's leading art museums, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum and the Rijksmuseum.

Artist: Born in Marseille, Honoré Daumier moved to Paris at the age of eight. During his forty-year career, he produced over 4,000 lithographic caricatures and hundreds of small oil paintings, a body of work which endures today as one of the greatest bodies of satirical art ever produced. In 1832, he was convicted and jailed for insulting the King in a print called Gargantua, which depicted King Louis Phillippe on a giant chamber pot excreting political favors. From then on Daumier generally avoided political topics and used the middle class city-dwellers of Paris as his subjects. His prints appeared regularly in several Parisian satirical journals, the most famous being Le Charivari. Daumier targeted the expanding class of French bourgeoisie and their pretensions to gentility, intellectualism and wealth. He used compassion and gentle humor to reveal ironies and satire. The closest he ever came to political satire after his imprisonment was a series of thirty-nine prints depicting legal proceedings, lawyers and judges, entitled Men of Justice (1845-48). These works, among his best known, are decidedly stronger in the criticism of their subjects. His other subjects include comedic theatre, charlatans of every variety, artists and collectors, Parisian women and the newly emerging railway. Daumier enjoyed great popularity during his life, but never managed to achieve financial success. Publications Publishing Daumier's work: Le Charivari; La Silhouette; La Caricature; La Caricature Provisoire; Le Boulevard; La Revue Comique; Le Petit Journal Pour Rire; Le Journal Amusant; La Presse; Le Monde Illustre