Artwork
J. Antoine Taschereau
J. Antoine Taschereau is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. J.
About this work
Overview
J. Antoine Taschereau is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, created in 1848. The print portrays Joseph Antoine Taschereau, a prominent French lawyer and politician of the mid-19th century.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, Taschereau, is depicted in caricature, emphasizing his facial features (notably a large nose and bushy eyebrows) while capturing him in motion, engrossed in reading *Revue L’Illustration*. This reflects Daumier’s use of satire to comment on contemporary political and social figures.
Technique & Style
Executed in a quick, sketchy style, the lithograph showcases Daumier’s ability to rapidly convey personality through exaggerated facial features and dynamic posture, characteristic of his caricatural approach.
History & Provenance
Produced during a period of significant political upheaval in France (1848), the work aligns with Daumier’s contributions to satirical publications like *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*.
Context
Part of Daumier’s broader body of work critiquing mid-19th-century French society, *J. Antoine Taschereau* sits alongside other satirical prints targeting political and social elites.
Legacy
As part of Daumier’s oeuvre, the lithograph contributes to his legacy as a pioneering satirical artist, influencing future generations of caricaturists and social commentators through print.
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.
