Un ami qu'on a invité ... c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, Un ami qu'on a invité..., in France during the mid-19th century, a time of great social change. It's part of a series called "The Pleasures of the Countryside," and it cleverly critiques the romanticized view of rural life. Daumier uses caricature to depict the discomfort and disruption that urban dwellers might experience when visiting the countryside. The dark, cramped room and the exhausted figures challenge the idea of the countryside as a place of relaxation. Notice how the visitor is rudely awoken at an ungodly hour! Daumier was deeply engaged with the social and political issues of his time, and he worked for satirical publications that criticized the bourgeoisie and the government. His prints often appeared in newspapers, making his work accessible to a wide audience. To understand Daumier fully, we can look at the history of French journalism, the development of lithography as a medium, and the changing social attitudes toward rural life. By exploring these different resources, we can better understand the meaning of Daumier's art as a product of its time.