Alliance des Bonapartistes et des Capucins

Executed as a traditional lithograph, the image was drawn with greasy ink on a limestone slab, then transferred to paper through a chemical process that preserves the artist’s line work. Daumier’s characteristic use of blank, expressionless faces serves to generalize the subjects, turning them into typified symbols rather than individualized portraits, a device common in his politically charged prints.

Created during a period when Daumier’s satirical prints frequently attracted official scrutiny, the work reflects the heightened tension between artists and the French authorities. The artist’s willingness to publish such pointed political criticism, despite the risk of censorship or imprisonment, situates the lithograph within the broader tradition of 19th‑century French caricature.

The lithograph remains a concise example of Daumier’s ability to compress complex political critique into a single, easily reproducible image. Its stark visual contrast and use of allegorical figures continue to be studied as a testament to the power of print media in shaping public discourse during the turbulent years of the French Second Republic and Empire.