Beware Madam Majority! It is devilishly delicate to raise such a child!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, November 29, 1871
November 29, 1871
Medium
Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 10 3/16 × 8 11/16 in. (25.8 × 22.1 cm) Sheet: 11 3/4 × 11 3/4 in. (29.8 × 29.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1954
Accession Number
54.557.44
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French caricature, created this biting lithograph in 1871 for *Le Charivari*, a pioneering satirical newspaper known for skewering politics and society. Titled *Beware Madam Majority! is devilishly delicate to such a child!*, the "News of the Day" section, it captures the turbulent post-Franco-Prussian War era including the fall of Napoleon III and the bloody suppression of the Paris Commune.umier's work often lampooned the fragile Third Republic, with "Madam Majority" likely alluding to the conservative National Assembly's dominance and the challenges ...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier · 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...