A Naples: Défilé des... gardes-du-corps... 1855

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, “A Naples: Défilé des... gardes-du-corps...,” sometime in the mid-19th century, using lithographic crayon on transfer paper. It’s a satirical commentary on the social and political conditions in Naples. Daumier uses caricature to depict the royal guard as impoverished and ragtag, a stark contrast to the pomp and circumstance usually associated with royalty. The guards are scrawny and barefoot. One is carrying a limp body, presumably a casualty of their "expedition." The image ridicules the Neapolitan monarchy, portraying its military might as weak and ineffectual. France in the 1800s experienced rapid social and political change, and art became a tool for social commentary and critique. Daumier worked as a printmaker for the satirical magazine Le Charivari, which was often censored for its political views. To fully understand Daumier's work, we might consult periodicals from the time, police records, and studies of French caricature. This print reminds us that art is not made in a vacuum. It is deeply embedded in the social and institutional contexts of its time.