I can assure you, you'll be seated very comfortably!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, September 29, 1871

Art Historical Context

Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French satire created *I can assure you, be seated very comfortably!* a lithograph for the "News of the" section of *Le Charivari*, a satirical newspaper published on September 29, 1871. This second state of two (per Delteil catalog) captures Daumier's signature style: sharp social commentary through exaggerated figures and wry humor, often targeting politics and everyday absurdities. The image, featuring men, women, chairs, likely pokes fun at assurances of comfort amid France's turbulent post-Franco-Prussian War era, including the recent Paris Commune upheaval. Lithography on newsprint was ideal for Daumier's urgent caricatures, allowing rapid production and wide distribution to critique the powerful. Printed in black ink on inexpensive paper (image 9 7/16 × 7 5/8 in.), it exemplifies his fluid, expressive line work that conveyed irony with minimal strokes— a technique that made his work accessible to the masses. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948), this print highlights Daumier's enduring role in political cartooning, blending artistry with activism to challenge complacency in a time of national reckoning.

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...