New Fashion of the Half-World. Reappearance of the baskets – it seems that these ladies are not yet quite done with their harvest, plate 295 from Actualités
published December 4, 1856
Medium
Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 22.8 × 27.2 cm (9 × 10 3/4 in.); Sheet: 27 × 35.4 cm (10 11/16 × 13 15/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
227833
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Honoré Daumier’s savvy critiques of Parisian fashion are all the more remarkable for the speed with which they were produced, made possible through the medium of lithography. This lighthearted image lampoons the oversize crinoline supports for skirts worn in the mid-1850s. Indeed, 1856 marked the height of the crinoline craze, when the support garments were at their widest, deepest, and most difficult to maneuver. Here Daumier likened these voluminously dressed women to baskets of fruit almost t...
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...