What the bourgeois calls a slight distraction, from 'The good bourgeois,' published in "Le Charivari"
August 30, 1846
Medium
Lithograph on wove paper; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 10 3/16 × 8 7/16 in. (25.8 × 21.5 cm) Sheet: 14 1/8 × 10 13/16 in. (35.9 × 27.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.61.14
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
This lithograph satirizes bourgeois hypocrisy and moral complacency through a scene depicting what the middle-class protagonist euphemistically describes as a "slight distraction." The image captures Daumier's gift for social observation and his ability to expose the gap between bourgeois pretensions to respectability and their actual behavior. The composition employs expressive caricature to reveal character through physiognomy, gesture, and situation, creating humor while delivering pointed so...
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier created this lively lithograph in 1846 as part of his series “The Good Bourgeois,” published in the popular French journal Le Charivari. Following the restrictive September Laws of 1835, which curbed direct political satire, Daumier redirected his wit toward the manners and moral shortcomings of the middle class under the July Monarchy. The scene gently mocks a bourgeois protagonist who dismisses an awkward moment as a mere “slight distraction,” exposing the gap between public respectability and private behavior. Executed on wove paper in the final published state, the print demonstrates Daumier’s mastery of lithography, a medium invented in 1798 that let artists draw directly on stone for rich tonal effects and wide circulation. His expressive caricature captures character through gesture, posture, and physiognomy, turning everyday social observation into pointed yet affectionate commentary. Printed by Aubert et Cie, the work belongs to a sustained series that continued into 1847 and helped shape modern visual satire while preserving a vivid record of nineteenth-century French life.
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier|Aubert et Cie|Aubert et Cie · 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...