Quelle heure est'il, s'il vous plait?... c. 19th century

This lithograph, "Quelle heure est'il, s'il vous plait?...", was made by Honoré Daumier. This printmaking technique involves drawing with a greasy crayon on a flat slab of limestone, which is then treated with chemicals to repel ink from the undrawn areas. Daumier was a master of this process, and used it to create images for mass circulation in newspapers and journals. The quick, expressive marks you see here were ideal for capturing the hustle and bustle of Parisian life, and for lampooning the political and social elite. Consider how the tonal gradations achieved by lithography allowed Daumier to create depth and volume with simple shading. The subtle textures that result from printing on paper also add to the immediacy of the image. His prints offered social commentary during a period of political unrest and the rise of mass media. Daumier made a great number of these works over his career. He was very much a craftsman of imagery, rather than just a fine artist, with all the social implications that entails.