1962.63 Honoré Daumier, Current Events, No. 385: Ever since Mr. Babinet had announced that the sun might disappear from one moment to the next, the Parisians are taking all necessary precautions, even at midday.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

In a scene that appears to take place on a Paris street in the middle of the afternoon, a portly gentleman and an older lady carry candle-lit lanterns. The episode recalls a contemporary news event surrounding the prediction by French astronomer Jacques Babinet (1794–1872) that a comet would extinguish the sun and then hit the earth on June 13, 1857. The caption refers to Babinet, a physicist, astronomer, and gifted orator whose articles became especially popular with a broad readership. While it is unclear whether Daumier believed in the comet’s doomsday potential, most citizens took the prediction seriously. This print, from the series Current Events, was published in Le Charivari on April 10, 1857. Themes in the series feature complacent, corpulent members of the bourgeoisie responding to the harmless topics of everyday life.

Excerpt from

Martha MacLeod, DMA label copy, 2016.

NOTES

Created 1857

October 2016

Checked Piction

2nd state

Inscription: Lower right in stone: "48"; upper center: "ACTUALITES."; upper right: "385"; lower left: "Mon. Martinet 172, r. Rivoli et 41, r. Vivienne."; lower right: "Lith. Destouches, 28, r. Paradis Pre. Paris."; below image: "Precaution indispensable..."

Brain label copy: Essential precaution taken by Parisians when they leave their homes, even in the middle of the day, since they have learnt through Mr. Babinet that the sun could go off at any time.

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Daumier, Honoré (French, 1808-1879)

Cultures

Geography

Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038

Process/materials

Lithography

Historical periods

Individuals

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National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC~Read a biography of Daumier from the NGA.

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Apply to objects where number equals 1962.63

General Description

In a scene that appears to take place on a Paris street in the middle of the afternoon, a portly gentleman and an older lady carry candle-lit lanterns. The episode recalls a contemporary news event surrounding the prediction by French astronomer Jacques Babinet (1794–1872) that a comet would extinguish the sun and then hit the earth on June 13, 1857. The caption refers to Babinet, a physicist, astronomer, and gifted orator whose articles became especially popular with a broad readership. While it is unclear whether Daumier believed in the comet’s doomsday potential, most citizens took the prediction seriously. This print, from the series Current Events, was published in Le Charivari on April 10, 1857. Themes in the series feature complacent, corpulent members of the bourgeoisie responding to the harmless topics of everyday life.