Les Grandes Celebrites de la France
Honore Daumier (1808-1879), Les Grandes Celebrites de la France, lithograph, 1939, plate 2 from the series Les Saltimbanques, from La Caricature Provisoire (also published later in Le Charivari, 1843). Reference: Daumier Register 620, second state (of 5). With lettering, and the initials (in the plate lower left). Printed on a wove paper. In good condition (formerly folded across the middle, now flattened) , 11 1/2 x 8 7/8, the sheet 13 1/8 x 10 inches.
A very good impression.
An impression of Les Grande Celebrites de la France was shown in the Metropolitan Museum’s show Seurat’s Circus Sideshow (At The Met Fifth Avenue, FEBRUARY 17MAY 29, 2017) as an example of art which helped lead to Seurat’s masterpiece.
Here’s a translation of the print’s text, from the Daumier Register:
Original Text:
Vous voyez ici les grandes clbrits de la France littraire, musicale et artistique, ils ont tous 36 pieds au dessous du niveau de la mer…….
Translation:
Here you see the great celebrities of literary, musical and artistic France. They are 36 feet tall – measured below sea level.