Artwork
Merci! Ce monsieur m'invite a chasser ...
Merci! Ce monsieur m'invite a chasser ... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1843 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Honoré Daumée’s lithograph titled “Merci!
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumée’s lithograph titled “Merci! Ce monsieur m’invite à chasser …” presents a brief, satirical scene set outdoors. Two male figures dominate the composition: one crouched, barefoot and burdened with a bundle and a firearm, the other upright, confidently holding a gun and a small bird. The work’s cartoonish rendering underscores a humorous yet pointed observation of social disparity.
Subject & Meaning
The juxtaposition of the shuffling, modestly dressed hunter against the self‑assured, better‑dressed companion suggests a commentary on class relations.
The juxtaposition of the shuffling, modestly dressed hunter against the self‑assured, better‑dressed companion suggests a commentary on class relations. The barefoot figure, encumbered and low to the ground, evokes the laboring poor, while the poised figure, clutching a bird—a traditional trophy of sport—symbolizes leisure and privilege. Daumée uses this contrast to critique the unequal distribution of leisure and power.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithographic print, the image relies on bold, simplified lines and stark contrasts typical of Daumée’s caricatural approach. The limited tonal range emphasizes the figures’ silhouettes, while the exaggerated postures enhance the satirical tone. The medium allows for rapid reproduction, aligning with the artist’s practice of disseminating social critiques through affordable, widely circulated prints.
History & Provenance
Created during Daumée’s prolific period of social satire in the mid‑19th century, the lithograph was likely produced for a newspaper or pamphlet audience. While specific exhibition records are scarce, the print has circulated among collectors of French graphic art and appears in several catalogues of Daumée’s oeuvre, confirming its attribution and place within his body of work.
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.
C'est bien décidé ... Je ne chasserai plus avec vous! ...
L'ouverture de la chasse
Restaurateur au Bois de Boulogne
Ou allez-vous donc?
Ca mord, quelle chance! Je vous défends ...
Un homme a la mer
Et plus un grain de poudre! ...
Un Pauvre père de famille qui...
J'vous dis que vous avez dérangé la limite ...