–Léocadie, up there 40 centuries and three quarters are looming down upon us. –Oh, my God, and I didn't even dress up!…, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, November 27, 1869
November 27, 1869
Medium
Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 1/2 × 8 1/16 in. (24.2 × 20.4 cm) Sheet: 14 3/8 × 11 7/16 in. (36.5 × 29 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1960
Accession Number
60.708.123
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the witty world of Honoré Daumier with this lively lithograph from *Leivari*'s "News of the Day" series, published on November , 1869. Daumier, a master caricaturist of 19th-century France, captures a hilarious moment between a man and a woman—likely bourgeois tourists—gazing up at Egypt's ancient pyramids. The dialogue says it all: the man exclaims, "Léocadie, up there 40 centuries three quarters are looming down us," while she frets, "Oh, my God, and I didn't even dress up!" This second-state lithograph on newsprint, printed by Walter Frères and Arnaud de Vresse, exemplifies Daumie...
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...