Artwork
Sire! Lisbonne est prise... (Sire! Lisbon has been captured...)
Sire! Lisbonne est prise... (Sire! Lisbon has been captured...) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1833 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
You see a stiff, uniformed man waving a paper titled “Lisbon is Taken!” while a slouched guy in a rumpled coat smirks and sips from a bottle.
Daumier made this in 1833 as a lithograph—a greasy ink on stone that prints fast and cheap—so ordinary people could laugh at the news.
Look for more Daumier prints at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1833 lithograph, titled *Sire! Lisbonne est prise…*, presents a satirical scene in which a formal military officer, rigid in uniform, brandishes a proclamation announcing the capture of Lisbon. Beside him, a disheveled civilian leans back, smirking while sipping from a bottle, creating a stark visual contrast between official pomp and everyday nonchalance.
Subject & Meaning
The print juxtaposes the solemnity of military authority with the casual indifference of a common man, suggesting a critique of the pretensions and absurdities inherent in hierarchical power structures. By pairing the officer’s exaggerated seriousness with the civilian’s relaxed demeanor, Daumier underscores the disconnect between public proclamations of triumph and the private skepticism of ordinary observers.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, Daumier employed the greasy‑ink‑on‑stone method that allowed rapid, inexpensive reproduction. The medium’s capacity for bold line work and tonal variation supports the caricatured figures, while the stark black‑and‑white palette heightens the comedic tension between the two characters.
Context
Created in the early 1830s, the image reflects contemporary French interest in foreign military events, such as the Portuguese campaign. Daumier’s choice of a cheap, widely distributable print format aligns with his intent to make political commentary accessible to a broad public, enabling ordinary citizens to engage humorously with current affairs.
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.
