Mr. Prune, plate 288 from Célébrités de la Caricature 1833

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph of Mr. Prune as part of his series Célébrités de la Caricature. This series targeted the celebrities of 19th-century France with a cutting satirical edge. Daumier was deeply engaged in the political life of his time. His caricatures, like this one, didn’t just poke fun; they were often direct critiques of the social and political status quo. France in the 1800s was a society defined by its class divisions, and institutions like the press played a significant role in shaping public opinion. Daumier worked for journals that were often at odds with the ruling powers, leading to censorship and even imprisonment. To understand this image better, we’d need to dive into the archives of French political journals from that time, explore the biographies of the figures he lampooned, and analyze the role of caricature in shaping public discourse. The meaning of Daumier's art is so deeply embedded in its original social and institutional context.