I beg you, get back into your box. You are going to endanger my equilibrium, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, January 13, 1869

Art Historical Context

In the bustling world of 19th-century Parisian satire, Honoré Daier reigns supreme as a master caricaturist. This lithograph, titled *I beg you, get into your box. You going to endanger my equilibrium appeared in the January 13, 1869, issue of *Le Charivari*, a daily newspaper renowned for its sharp political and social commentary during France's Second Empire. Daier, often collaborating with figures like Arnaud de Vresse and Destouches, captured the era's tensions through exaggerated human figures, poking fun at bourgeois hypocrisies, political figures, and everyday absurdities. The witty title hints at a precarious balancing act—perhaps a jab at unstable alliances or social faux pas—rendered with Daumier's signature economy of line. Printed as a lithograph on newsprint in its second state (per Delteil's catalog), this work exemplifies the medium's revolutionary accessibility. Lithography allowed for quick, inexpensive reproduction, flooding streets with timely satire that reached a wide audience beyond elite salons. Measuring just 9½ × 8⅝ inches, its intimate scale belies its cultural punch, blending grotesque humor with incisive critique. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948), it stands as a testament to Daumier's prolific output—over 4,000 lithographs—chronicling a France teetering between modernity and monarchy. Today, this piece invites us to chuckle at history's follies, reminding visitors how art can destabilize the status quo with a single, unsteady step.

About the Artist

Honoré Daumier|Arnaud de Vresse|Destouches · 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...