Baron de Lascours

The sitter, identified as the baronial figure Baron de Lascours, is depicted in full court dress, emphasizing his aristocratic status. Daumier’s rendering, with its severe expression and unembellished setting, hints at a subtle critique of the social elite, aligning the portrait with the artist’s habit of exposing the pretensions of the privileged class.

Created as a lithograph, the work relies on bold, decisive lines that define the subject’s features and clothing. The contrast between the dark attire and the pale backdrop heightens visual focus, while the simplified, expressive rendering reflects the Romantic tendency toward heightened emotion and individual character, hallmarks of Daumier’s printmaking.

The print was produced between 1865 and 1868, a period when Daumier was active in the French press and also producing independent works. It circulated among collectors of political caricature and portraiture, later entering museum collections that document the artist’s engagement with contemporary figures.

During the July Monarchy and the subsequent Second Empire, Daumier regularly contributed to satirical journals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, targeting both political leaders and members of the aristocracy. *Baron de Lascours* fits within this tradition, offering a visual commentary that blends portraiture with the critical edge characteristic of his republican sympathies.