“- So, Gringalet from Paris!.... you will dance twice with my Catherine ...... try again now to make sheep's eyes at her,” plate 27 from Pastorales

Art Historical Context

In this lively lithograph, plate 27 from Honoré Daumier's *Pastorales* series, on October 28, 1845, we witness a quintessential scene of rural French jealousy. A stern peasant father confronts "Gringalet from Paris"—a slick city dandy—with the sharp words: “So, Gringalet from Paris you will dance twice with Catherine... try again now make sheep's eyes at.” Daumier, a master of 19th-century caricature and social satire, captures the clash between urban sophistication and rustic protectiveness during a village dance, highlighting tensions in mid-1800s France under the July Monarchy. Printed in bold black ink on cream wove paper, with Daumier's signature scraping technique on the lithographic stone to create dramatic highlights and textures, the image measures 24.4 × 21.9 cm. The folded sheet (36.1 × 25 cm) forms a booklet-like format, enhanced by handwritten text and letterpress on both sides, making it a portable, narrative gem from periodicals like *Le Charivari*. This medium allowed Daumier to produce over 4,000 affordable prints, democratizing art and critique. Part of the 100-plate *Pastorales* (1844–46), it skewers romanticized pastoral life, revealing bawdy humor and class divides. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, it exemplifies Daumier's realist style—expressive lines conveying emotion and irony—for a new era of visual journalism.

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...