Nationality
French
Artist Dates
1808-1879
Preview
Date of Work
1843
Medium
Lithograph
Signature
Lower left, initialed in the lithographic stone
Height
19 1/16" (framed)
Width
15 5/8" (framed)
Collection/Provenance
Art & Design Study Collection
Status
Displayed: First floor, Family & Community Medicine hallway
Location
School of Medicine & Health Sciences Building
Artist Bio
Honoré Daumier was a prolific painter, printmaker and caricaturist born in 1808 in Marseille, France. In 1822 Daumier studied under Alexandre Lenoir, an artist and archaeologist that was dedicated to saving French monuments during the French Revolution. One year later he went on to attend the Académie Suisse. His works are best known for commenting and critiquing on the 19th century social and political life in France. Honoré Daumier's works can be found at the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rijksmuseum, and several other prominent collections internationally. The University of North Dakota holds more than 1600 works by Daumier, the vast majority of which are part of the Lilly Jacobson Collection, which can be accessed here: https://commons.und.edu/daumier-prints/.
Aside from making powerful politically-charged images that reflected his pro-republican views, Daumier satirized lawyers, doctors, businessmen, professors, and lifestyles of the bourgeoisie. Although the inscriptions that accompany Daumier’s lithographs were not written by him, one might assume they mostly conveyed the spirit of the artist’s intent behind his images.
Additional Information
A man with a cane and bandaged head stands in front of a man in an apron, holding a spoon over a pot of soup.
Published in Le Charivari, 1844
English: Ah, Sir, your broth is really light... even the patients complain that it does not sustain them! - I have corrected that... but today it might be a bit too strong... I added to the pot half a game of Dominos more than yesterday... including the double six to give it a nice color.
In this print from the series “Le Philantropes du Jour” (The Philanthropists of Today), Daumier mocks “good Samaritans” who provide half-hearted assistance to the poor. The well-fed chef at this soup kitchen has created a recipe that seems high in creativity, but exceedingly low in nourishment.
Rights
Images are provided for educational purposes only and may not be reproduced for commercial use. Images may be protected by artist copyright. A credit line is required to be used for any public non-commercial educational purpose. The credit line must include, “Image courtesy of the University of North Dakota.”