The Friends of Peace - Result of a Speech By Coquerel. On leaving the ward of Saint Cécilia, a member of the peace congress decided to start general disarmament, plate 7 from Actualités

Art Historical Context

Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French satire, created *The Friends of Peace - Result of a Speech By Coquerel* in 1849 as plate 7 from his *Actualités* series. lithograph in black on white wove (image: 26.5 × 19.6 cm) captures Daumier's signature: exaggerated caricatures that skewer social and political hypocrisies with sharp wit and dynamic compositions. As a leading figure in Realism, Daumier used lithography—a revolutionary printing technique allowing affordable mass production—to disseminate his commentary widely through journals like *Le Charivari*. Set against the backdrop of the 1849 Paris Universal Peace Congress, the print mocks the fervent idealism of pacifists. It depicts a congress member, inspired by Protestant pastor Athanase Coquerel's speech in the Saint Cécilia ward, impulsively declaring general disarmament. Daumier's biting humor highlights the gap between lofty rhetoric and practical reality amid post-1848 revolutionary tensions in Europe, where nations grappled with war and nationalism. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, this work exemplifies lithography's power for political critique, blending technical precision with expressive exaggeration to engage everyday viewers in timely debates.

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...