Plate 4: Robert Macaire, discount broker, from 'Caricaturana,' published in Les Robert Macaires
Medium
Color lithograph on wove paper; third state of three (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 10 1/2 × 8 11/16 in. (26.6 × 22 cm) Sheet: 13 7/16 × 10 1/4 in. (34.1 × 26 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953
Accession Number
53.693.26
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the satirical world of 19th-century France with *Plate 4: Robert Macaire, discount broker*, a vibrant color lithograph from Honoré Daumier's *Caricaturana*, published in *Les Robert Macaires* in 1838. Created under the direction of publisher Charles Philipon, with printing by Aubert et Cie and Junca, this third-state impression captures Daumier's mastery of caricature during the July Monarchy. The image skewers Robert Macaire—a notorious stage character revived by Philipon and Daumier—as a sly discount broker, embodying the era's corrupt financiers amid economic scandals and speculative booms. Daumier's bold lithography on wove paper, measuring 10½ × 8⅝ inches, allowed for affordable mass production, democratizing biting social commentary. His expressive lines and vivid colors exaggerate the broker's scheming grin and gesturing hands, turning financial greed into grotesque theater. This print, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1953), exemplifies how Daumier and Philipon evaded censorship through humor, influencing modern political cartooning. A testament to lithography's revolutionary role in visual journalism, this work reminds us how art can lampoon power—inviting visitors to chuckle at history's timeless rogues.
About the Artist
Aubert et Cie|Junca|Charles Philipon|Honoré Daumier (French|French|French) · 1808 |1829 |1829 –1879 |1929 |1929
French, Marseilles 1808–1879 Valmondois| |