Away with the ballast!, from 'News of the day,' published in "Le Charivari"
August 12, 1869
Medium
Lithograph on wove paper; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 7/16 × 8 1/4 in. (23.9 × 20.9 cm) Sheet: 14 3/16 × 10 5/16 in. (36.1 × 26.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.61.120
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the witty world of 19th-century French satire with *Away with the Ballast!*, a lithograph by master caricaturist Honoré Daum, published on August 12, 1869, in the pages of *Le Chariv*. This newspaper was a hotbed of political and social commentary during the Second French Empire, and Daumier, often collaborating with publishers like Walter Frères and Arnaud de Vresse, used his sharp eye to skewer the era's absurdities. The title evokes the drama of hot air ballooning—a popular spectacle of the time—where discarding ballast propels the craft skyward, likely a metaphor for politicians ...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier|Walter Frères|Arnaud de Vresse · 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...