Artwork
Dire... que nous avons un fils qui est... avocat...
Dire... que nous avons un fils qui est... avocat... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1846 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1846, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier presents a compact grouping of three figures, a formally dressed man, a woman in a long dress with a shawl, and a second man in a black coat and tall hat clutching a folder. The title, a fragment of a boast about a son’s legal profession, signals the work’s satirical intent, typical of Daumier’s socially critical prints.
Subject & Meaning
The scene captures a moment of familial pride, exaggerated through caricature. By foregrounding the claim that the family’s son is a lawyer, Daumier hints at the pretensions of the bourgeois class and the social value placed on professional status in mid‑nineteenth‑century France.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the image relies on brisk, sketch‑like lines that convey immediacy and vigor. Daumier’s handling of the stone matrix allows for spontaneous strokes, giving the figures a lively, slightly exaggerated presence while preserving enough detail to identify clothing and gestures.
Context
Produced during the period between the 1830 Revolution and the later collapse of the Second Empire, the print reflects Daumier’s ongoing engagement with political satire. Working for periodicals such as La Caricature and Le Charivari, he used his prints to critique the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy, aligning with his republican sympathies.
Legacy
The lithograph exemplifies Daumier’s contribution to the development of social commentary in print media. Its blend of humor and critique helped shape the role of caricature as a vehicle for political discourse, influencing later generations of satirical artists and illustrators.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
Tiens v'la peut-etre une pratique
Voila le ministère public qui vous dit des choses... désagréables...
Vous avez perdu votre procès c'est vrai...
Et dire que voila trois... prévenu que je n'ai pas pu faire condamner!...
Quel dommage que cette charmante... femme...
Ainsi donc, quoique j'vous avoue...
Comme je vous ai dit vertement votre fait!
Maitre Chapotard lisant... l'éloge de lui-même...