“- Ah yes, those comets, they always predict great misfortunes. It doesn't surprise me at all that poor Madame Galuchet suddenly died last night,” plate 573 from Actualités
October 30, 1858
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.4 × 25.1 cm (8 1/16 × 9 15/16 in.); Sheet: 27.5 × 35.8 cm (10 7/8 × 14 1/8 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84643
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Daumier was frustrated throughout the 1850s by the censorship of Emperor Louis Napoleon, who took power in a swift coup d’état in 1851, forcing Daumier to turn to social rather than political topics for the second time in his career. An unusual event such as a comet’s arrival was likely a welcome subject. Daumier designed ten comet prints, then rapidly produced another ten when Parisians responded enthusiastically. Le Charivari, the comedic newspaper that published Daumier’s work, continued to p...
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...