“I don't want to go into such a deep water...... there are surely big fish in there!,” plate 1 from Enfantillages
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.6 × 22.6 cm (9 11/16 × 8 15/16 in.); Sheet: 35.3 × 26.2 cm (13 15/16 × 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80002
Art Historical Context
In 1859, French satirical master Honoré-Victorinumier created this lithograph, the first plate from his series *Enfantillages* ("Childish Things"), now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Prints and Drawings collection. Daumier, a prolific caricaturist during France's Second Empire under Napoleon, often used children to lampoon adult hypocrisies and societal. The title—"I don't want to go such a deep water...... are surely big fish in!"—captures a child's timid reluctance, likely symbolizing bourgeois caution toward political or financial risks in a turbulent era marked by censorship and ec...
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...