Achille Tenaille de Vaulabelle c. 19th century

This is a lithograph of Achille Tenaille de Vaulabelle by Honoré Daumier. Daumier was a master of caricature in 19th century France, and his work frequently skewered the rich and powerful. Here, Daumier exaggerates Vaulabelle’s features, inflating his head and shrinking his limbs to make him look ridiculous. Daumier’s caricatures were often published in satirical journals. These journals flourished in France during the relatively liberal Orléanist period, giving artists like Daumier a public platform from which to critique the political and social order. He was conscious of the public role of art and imagery, and of its power to challenge social norms. To fully understand this image, it's useful to know about the history of French political institutions in the 19th century, the rise of print media and the careers of figures like Vaulabelle. Only with these resources can we understand the subtle ways that Daumier's art is both shaped by and comments on its own time.