December being a month for merrymaking, I thought it was a good time to introduce the great printmaker and caricaturist, Honoré Daumier, to my blog. I look at his work as an early precursor to comic strips like The Lighter Side of…, by Dave Berg of Mad Magazine. As you’ll see, the social and emotional pressures of holiday celebrations in the 1800s weren’t too different from today.
In addition to being a brilliant satirist, Daumier is one of the most prolific artists of the 19th century, having produced over 100 sculptures, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, 1,000 wood engravings, and 4,000 lithographs. His work has been compared to Balzac’s—a visual (rather than written) Comédie Humaine that satirized the monarchy, politicians, the judicial system, the bourgeoisie, and human nature in general.
Daumier is perhaps best known for his numerous lithographic series where he commented on various aspects of French life and politics. By my count, there are at least 140 different series, some of which contain as many as 100 drawings. Before each print shown below, I’ve provided the name of the series to which it belongs.
From Parisian Sketches series
A visit on New Year’s Day …
From The Divorcées series
Toast raised to the emancipation of women, by women already furiously emancipated.
From Celebration in the Neighboring Village series
Three Maidens to be Married
From The Beautiful Days of Life series
An Evening of National Celebration
It never fails… you go out to see fire, and you only enjoy water!
From Musical Sketches series
A gentleman trying to prove he can sing and play piano at the same time,
— that which is a grand unpleasantness.
Orchestra for a Bourgeois Ball
From When One’s Been Cursed series
You’ll order me again… to go wish a happy holiday
to your aunt Glandureau on a day of black ice.
From Philanthropists of the Day series
Sirs… we have a 43rd toast to make… to the Society for Temperance!
From The Actors of Society series
An orchestra in a very proper home,
where one partakes in the fantasy of playing in an operetta.
From Musical Studies series
Music of a Country Celebration
From Foreigners in Paris series
A Country Ball of Paris
“What were you thinking to take us to a spot where people dance in such a manner?”
“Madame!… the newspapers say that this is the gathering place of Parisian Society elite.”
From The Banqueters series
187th toast .. to the National Guard of Astrakan!
From The Village Celebration series
Grand Ball with Small Orchestra
From Émotions Parisiennes series
And the heartless scream at the person of authority who prevents them from being crushed and who spends his life in the snow and mud, behold the fate of governance.
Wrapping Up the Year
Currently on my calendar, is a French caroling party, a potluck and reading of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, a girl’s night out, a zoom with college BFFs, a NYE party, and holiday gatherings with both sides of our family. Our three kids will soon be home with their significant others also visiting. While we’ve eliminated the stress of present buying by cutting out gift-giving, I still decorate the house a bit and prepare a number of best-loved recipes throughout the month. On the bright side, I’ll be spending time with my nearest and dearest and the festivities will serve to distract me during the darkest part of the year. However, I suspect there will also be moments where I’m grumbling along with the overtaxed merrymakers of Daumier’s lithographs.
How about you? Are you reveling in the good cheer and celebration of the holiday season or looking forward to closing the door on January 1st as your last guest heads home?
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After 187 toasts, I’m impressed that those people could even stay conscious, never mind pronounce “Astrakhan”.
Nobody should be ordered to do anything on black ice. I’d have told her she can go visit Aunt Glandureau herself.
I see that the suffering imposed by people who mistakenly believe they can sing is a timeless problem.
I must say that, for me, the satirical intent of most of these isn’t obvious. Perhaps cultural assumptions and the effect of types of imagery has just changed too much in a century and a half.
Glad to hear you’re able to have a family get-together while eliminating the stress of shopping. For me, this is not the holiday season, since there are no holidays meaningful to me in December; of course I still have to endure the crowds and the treacly Christmas music every time I go into a store. At least it can be minimized by doing shopping early in the morning.
Ha! The French caroling event I went to would surely have inflicted great suffering on anyone who wasn’t already friends with other members of the group. The food and subsequent conversations were quite good though.
I enjoy Daumier’s satire pretty but sometimes with humor, the kidding isn’t funny if I find the underlying subject matter already intolerable.
You sound like my husband Andy who likes seeing friends and family but could do without just about every other aspect of the holiday season. His favorite Christmas carol (if it can even be called that) is “White Wine in the Sun” by Tim Minchin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q
Another very thorough post. Daumier had the knack to portray all the ‘foibles’ of my dear compatriots.
Delighted to see that you have a lot of festivities planned.
We’ve modified Xmas gifts with buying 1 surprise gift per adult. (The little ones will have their gifts.) The surprise gifts are chosen at random by a toss of dice. If you get a par you can choose a wrapped gift, w/o knowing what it is. When all gifts have been picked, you can steal a gift, etc… Lots of fun.
Joyeux Noël Carole.
Merci Brieuc. À toi aussi.
Fantástico