Former Dandies from the time of the Directory, plate 7 from Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 25.1 × 22.5 cm (9 15/16 × 8 7/8 in.); Sheet: 33 × 25 cm (13 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
76396
Art Historical Context
Step into the sharp-witted world of Honoré-Victorin Daumier with *Former Dandies from the of the Directory, plate7 from Tout Ce Qu Voudra* (1847). Thisograph captures the artist's keen eye for social satire, poking fun at the faded elegance of dandies from France's Directory era (1795–1799), a turbulent post-Revolutionary period marked by political instability and extravagant fashions. By 1847, amid the July Monarchy's social shifts, Daumier contrasts their once-dashing style with contemporary decay, highlighting the passage of time and class pretensions. Daumier, a pioneering French caricatu...
About the Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier · 1808–1879
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...