Article 27 du Réglement, from Les Portiers de Paris, published in Le Charivari, December 4, 1858

Art Historical Context

Step into the satirical world of mid-19th-century Paris with *Article 27 du Rég*, from Honoré Daumier's *Les Portiers de Paris series, published in the iconic newspaper *Le Charivari* on 4, 1858. Attributed to Daumier alongside collaborators Aaron Martinet and Dest, this lithograph captures gritty humor of everyday Parisian life, focusing on the city's porters—those indispensable doorkeepers and laborers who regulated access to buildings. The title playfully nods to "Article 27 of the Regulations," likely poking fun at bureaucratic rules governing their world, amid scenes featuring men and women in spirited interaction. Daumier, a titan of French caricature and Realism, used *Le Charivari* as his canvas for over 4,000 lithographs critiquing society under Napoleon III's early Second Empire. This second state of two (per Delteil catalog) exemplifies his mastery of lithography, a technique perfected in the 1830s that allowed affordable, high-contrast prints for mass audiences. With expressive lines and dynamic compositions—sheet size 11 13/16 × 11 5/8 in.—Daumier distilled social tensions into biting wit, elevating the working class to protagonists. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Rogers Fund, 1922), it reminds us how art mirrored urban transformation, blending empathy with mockery in a city buzzing with change. A timeless jab at authority and human folly!