Le réfugié politique c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, entitled "The Political Refugee," to appear in the series "Bohemians of Paris." In nineteenth-century France, political instability and censorship deeply affected artists like Daumier, whose caricatures often critiqued the bourgeoisie and the government. Here, Daumier portrays a disheveled man, a supposed political refugee, appealing to a woman in her home. The refugee claims to be like Belisarius, a general, exiled by a jealous tyrant. With biting irony, he states he would prefer fifty centimes, highlighting the economic precarity and the performative aspect of seeking asylum. Daumier’s work invites us to consider how political turmoil affects individual lives and the ways in which people seek refuge and assistance. It reflects a society grappling with questions of identity, class, and the human cost of political upheaval.