Poor Mr. Rouher! A voice (in the wings): –Go ahead! Jump! He: –But I'll sink to the bottom!, from 'News of the day,' published in Le Charivari, May 9, 1872

Art Historical Context

Step into the sharp-witted world of 19th-century French satire with *Poor Mr. Rouher! A voice (in the wings –Go ahead! Jump He: –But I'll to the bottom!*, lithograph by master caricaturist Honoré Daum, published in *Le Charivari* on 9, 1872. Daumier, a prolific artist known for his biting political commentary, targeted Eugène Rouher, prominent Bonapartist politician and former minister under Napoleon III. Created amid the turbulent shift to France's Third Republic after the emperor's fall in 1870 and the Franco-Prussian War, this piece from the "News of the day" series captures the era's political instability with humor and exaggeration. The image humorously depicts Rouher hesitating at the water's edge, goaded by an offstage voice to "jump" into uncertain depths—likely a metaphor for his floundering Bonapartist ambitions in a republican sea. Daumier's genius lies in his expressive, fluid lines that convey panic and folly, turning a simple swimming mishap into a critique of political cowardice. Tags like "Satire," "Men," and "Swimming" highlight its playful yet pointed focus. Printed on modest newsprint (image 9½ × 8⅞ in.), this lithograph exemplifies the medium's power for mass dissemination—inexpensive, timely, and disposable, much like the scandals it skewered. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it reminds us how art can puncture power with a single, sinking punchline.

About the Artist

Eugène Rouher|Honoré Daumier (French|French) · 1808 |1814 –1879 |1884

French, Marseilles 1808–1879 Valmondois|French, Riom 1814–1884 Paris