I can assure you, you'll be seated very comfortably!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, September 29, 1871
September 29, 1871
Medium
Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 7/16 × 7 5/8 in. (23.9 × 19.4 cm) Sheet: 11 5/8 × 11 1/4 in. (29.6 × 28.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948
Accession Number
48.117.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French satire created *I can assure you, be seated very comfortably!* a lithograph for the "News of the" section of *Le Charivari*, a satirical newspaper published on September 29, 1871. This second state of two (per Delteil catalog) captures Daumier's signature style: sharp social commentary through exaggerated figures and wry humor, often targeting politics and everyday absurdities. The image, featuring men, women, chairs, likely pokes fun at assurances of comfort amid France's turbulent post-Franco-Prussian War era, including the recent Paris Commune...
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...