Un Bonapartiste nouvellement converti

Art Historical Context

Honoré Daumier’s 1851 lithograph *Un Bonapartiste nouvellement converti* offers a sharp glimpse into the turbulent politics of mid-nineteenth-century France. Created just months before Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, the print satirizes the sudden wave of political converts who rushed to support the future emperor once his ambitions became clear. Daumier, already celebrated for his incisive caricatures, uses the accessible medium of lithography to reach a broad audience with his commentary on opportunism and shifting loyalties. As a lithograph, the work exemplifies the democratic potential of printmaking in the 1800s. Unlike paintings or sculptures reserved for elite collectors, lithographs could be produced quickly and inexpensively, allowing Daumier’s witty observations to appear in newspapers and albums across Paris. His fluid line and expressive exaggeration became hallmarks of the Realist movement’s interest in everyday social critique. Today the print resides in the National Gallery of Art’s Corcoran Collection, a gift of Dr. Armand Hammer. It stands as both a vivid historical document and a reminder of art’s power to capture the absurdities of political life.

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...