The cursed year!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, January 1, 1872
January 1, 1872
Medium
Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 3/16 × 7 11/16 in. (23.3 × 19.6 cm) Sheet: 11 5/16 × 11 7/16 in. (28.7 × 29 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.650.424
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier's *The Cursed Year!*, published on January 1, 1872, in the satirical newspaper *Le Charivari*'s "News of the" section, captures the biting wit of this master caricaturist. Daumier (1808–1879), a prolific French artist renowned for over 4,000 lithographs, used his work to skewer social and political follies during a turbulent era. This print emerged just months after France's devastating 1871marked by the Franco-Prussian War's defeat, the Siege of Paris, and the bloody suppression of the Paris Commune—making its title a grim reflection on a year of catastrophe. Rendered as a lit...
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...