Artwork
Un Père qui fait sucer à son fils...
Un Père qui fait sucer à son fils... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1847 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1847, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier depicts a man in a top hat offering a glass to a small child, who cups it with both hands while looking upward. A seated figure observes from a high-backed chair, and a sculpted bust looms in the background. The composition is rendered with quick, sketch‑like lines that convey immediacy and a satirical tone.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents a domestic scene that doubles as a critique of authority and hypocrisy. By showing an adult handing a drink to a child under the watchful eye of a seated observer, Daumier suggests the transmission of vice or moral instruction within a hierarchical setting, using exaggerated gestures to underline the absurdity of the situation.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the image relies on bold, loose strokes that give the impression of a rapid sketch. Daumier’s characteristic caricatural exaggeration appears in the distorted proportions of the figures, while the contrast between the crisp outlines of the foreground and the softer background elements enhances the satirical impact.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to Daumier’s prolific output for the satirical journals La Caricature and Le Charivari, publications that circulated widely during the July Monarchy and the early Second Republic. It was produced as part of his ongoing series of social commentaries, reflecting the artist’s engagement with contemporary political discourse.
Context
In the mid‑nineteenth century, France experienced turbulent shifts from the July Monarchy to the Second Republic, prompting a flourishing of political caricature. Daumier’s lithographs, including this piece, functioned as visual journalism, reaching a broad readership and contributing to public debate about power structures, moral instruction, and the role of the bourgeois family.
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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.
