Un Bonapartiste nouvellement converti
1851
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Dr. Armand Hammer)
Accession Number
2015.143.526
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier’s 1851 lithograph *Un Bonapartiste nouvellement converti* offers a sharp glimpse into the turbulent politics of mid-nineteenth-century France. Created just months before Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte’s coup d’état, the print satirizes the sudden wave of political converts who rushed to support the future emperor once his ambitions became clear. Daumier, already celebrated for his incisive caricatures, uses the accessible medium of lithography to reach a broad audience with his commentary on opportunism and shifting loyalties. As a lithograph, the work exemplifies the democratic pote...
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...