Artwork
Mon cher je t'assure que je te...
Mon cher je t'assure que je te... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1845, this lithographic print by Honoré Daumier presents a domestic interior where two figures confront each other. The left-hand figure is clothed in dark attire, while his counterpart on the right is distinguished by a white shirt and a hat. A chair and a curtained backdrop complete the setting, and the artist’s handling of light and texture gives the scene a palpable sense of space.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a moment of verbal exchange, hinted at by the title’s suggestion of reassurance. Daumier, known for his satirical eye, often used such interpersonal scenes to comment on broader social dynamics, subtly critiquing the pretensions of the bourgeois class and the performative nature of polite discourse in mid‑nineteenth‑century France.
Technique & Style
Executed through lithography, Daumier drew directly onto a limestone plate, allowing for fine gradations of tone. The print demonstrates his skillful manipulation of line and shading to model forms and suggest depth, while the relatively loose rendering of details reflects the immediacy characteristic of his caricature work for popular journals.
History & Provenance
Produced during Daumier’s prolific period as a contributor to satirical newspapers such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, the print circulated among the readership that followed his commentary on political and social issues. While specific ownership records are limited, the work remains documented in several 19th‑century collections of Daumier’s prints, underscoring its role in his extensive output of socially engaged imagery.
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.
