–Annoying all the same, Master, that they now accept slanderous proof in all matters of financial issues. –Bertrand, you are making me sick! When you have the money why do you still need the honor?, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, June 10, 1870

Art Historical Context

In this biting lithograph from Honoré Daumier's *News of the Day* series, published in the satirical journal *Le Charivari* on June 10, 1870, two men engage in a cynical dialogue about money eclipsing honor: “Annoying all the same, Master, that they now accept slanderous proof in all matters of financial issues,” laments one, only to be rebuked, “Bertrand, you are making me sick! When you have the money why do you still need the honor?” Daumier, a master of caricature alongside collaborators Arnaud de Vresse and Walter Frères, masterfully captures the era's moral decay through exaggerated expressions and dynamic poses, evoking men absorbed in reading—perhaps a newspaper exposé. Created amid the scandals of Napoleon III's Second Empire, just months before the Franco-Prussian War, the print skewers the commodification of integrity in France's corrupt financial world. Daumier's work in *Le Charivari*—a daily outlet for political satire—highlighted social hypocrisies, making him a voice for the disenfranchised. Printed as a lithograph on newsprint (second state of two, per Delteil), this affordable medium allowed mass dissemination, amplifying its cultural punch. At 9 9/16 × 8 3/16 inches, it's a compact yet powerful artifact, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection (gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1960). A timeless reminder of wealth's corrosive allure.

About the Artist

Honoré Daumier|Arnaud de Vresse|Walter Frères · 1810–1879

Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose works offered incisive commentary on the social and political life of 19th-century France. Known as the 'Michelangelo of Caricature,' Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, and 100 sculptures during his lifetime. His biting political satire led to his imp...