Honoré Daumier is one of the most…

Honoré Daumier is one of the most gifted and prolific draftsmen of his time.

When, during the reign of Louis Philippe, Charles Philipon launched the comic journal, La Caricature, a satirical anti-monarchist illustrated newspaper, Daumier had joined its staff, which included such powerful artists as Devéria, Raffet, and Grandville.

Daumier had then initiated his pictorial campaign of satire, targeting the foibles of the bourgeoisie, the corruption of the law and the incompetence of a blundering government.

His caricature of the king as Gargantua had led to Daumier's imprisonment for six months at Ste. Pelagic in 1832.

Soon after, the publication of La Caricature had been discontinued to reduce Philipon’s financial risk of censorship fines, but he and his brother-in-law Gabriel Aubert provided a new field for Daumier's activity when he founded the Le Charivari, an illustrated newspaper published in Paris.

Le Charivari, which has fewer pages and is printed on more expensive paper than was La Caricature, contains humorous, but not as political, content.