The actor and a street urchin, from 'Dramatic sketches,' published in Le Charivari, April 18, 1864
April 18, 1864
Medium
Lithograph; second state of two (Deltiel)
Dimensions
Image: 9 9/16 × 8 13/16 in. (24.3 × 22.4 cm) Sheet: 11 7/16 × 10 13/16 in. (29.1 × 27.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1953
Accession Number
53.650.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 19th-century Paris, Honoré Daumier captured the vibrant theater scene with sharp wit in this lithograph, *The Actor and a Street Urchin*, published in *Le Charivari* on April 18, 1864, as part of his *Dramatic Sketches* series. Daumier, a master caricaturist and leading figure in French satire, often skewered social hierarchies through exaggerated figures and expressive lines. Here, the encounter between a flamboyant actor and a ragged street urchin highlights the contrasts between stage glamour and urban poverty, poking fun at spectators, performers, and the blurred l...