Regrets Superflus! 1851

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, Regrets Superflus!, in France. It is a biting commentary on the failed attempt to unite the Bourbon and Orléans lines of the French monarchy. Here, Daumier uses satire to critique the political climate. He presents a conjoined infant, representing the two royal families, preserved in a jar labeled “Fusion and Perpetuity.” This grotesque image reflects Daumier’s skepticism towards the manufactured alliance. Two men, likely representing supporters of the monarchy, look on with exaggerated sorrow, highlighting the futility and perhaps even the absurdity of their nostalgia. Daumier’s work was often featured in satirical journals, offering commentary on the social and political issues of the time. His art served as a form of social critique, questioning the power structures and the institutions that upheld them. To fully understand Daumier's commentary, we can look at the historical context of 19th-century France, the role of the press, and the rise of caricature as a form of political expression. The meaning of art is always tied to its social and institutional context.