A satirical lithograph by Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) entitled "Un Triomphe de Botaniste" (Triumph of the Botanist), which depicts a proud and nervous botanist in glasses and a wide brimmed hat awaiting the critique of a snobby critic, who is smelling his blooming flowers. The French text beneath the image roughly translates: "Here, sir, sniff me that ... here is a rose of which I am proud, it blooms for the first time .... and by dint of patience, I managed to make it acquire the smell of rhubarb! .. I must be quoted in the next Journal of Useful Knowledge" or "Look at this, sir, go ahead, smell it ... I am proud of this particularly pink flower ... it's flourishing for the first time ... with patience, and care I was able to give it an odor of rhubarb! .. . Surely I should be mentioned in the next edition of the Journal of Useful knowledge". The lithograph was published in the famous and very popular French satirical magazine Le Charivari in its October 20, 1844 issue.
Daumier was a master of French satire and caricatures, who famously satirized France’s bourgeoisie and the justice system, and masterfully exposed the misery of the masses through the emerging medium of lithography. Born in Marseille, Honoré Daumier moved to Paris at the age of eight. During his forty-year career, he produced over 4,000 lithographic caricatures and hundreds of small oil paintings, a body of work which endures today as one of the greatest bodies of satirical art ever produced. In 1832, he was convicted and jailed for six months for insulting the King in a print called Gargantua, which depicted King Louis Phillippe on a giant chamber pot excreting political favors. Political satire was subsequently banned in France. From then on Daumier generally avoided political topics, instead targeting the expanding class of French bourgeoisie and their pretensions to gentility, intellectualism and wealth. Lawyers and judges were his most frequent subjects. The closest he ever came to political satire after his imprisonment was a series of thirty-nine prints depicting legal proceedings, lawyers and judges, entitled "Men of Justice", published 1845 to 1848. His prints appeared regularly in several Parisian satirical and illustrated journals, the most famous being Le Charivari, but including: La Silhouette, La Caricature, La Caricature Provisoire, Le Boulevard, La Revue Comique, Le Petit Journal Pour Rire, Le Journal Amusant, La Presse and Le Monde Illustre.
This lithograph's Inscriptions: Upper left above the image: "LES BEAUX JOURS DE LA VIE." (The Best Days in Life); lower right in block: "672"; lower left below the image: "Chez Aubert & Cie. Pl. de la Bourse 29."; lower right below the image: "Imp. d'Aubert & Cie."; lower center below the image: "UN TRIOMPHE DE BOTANISTE. Tenez, monsieur, flairez moi ça... voila une rose dont je suis fier, elle fleurit pour la première fois.... à force de soins et de patience, je suis parvenu à lui faire acquérir l'odeur de la rhubarbe!.. je dois être cité dans le prochain numéro du journal des Connaissances utiles." Daumier's initials (hD) can be found in block in the lower right.
The print is presented in a simple black wood frame and a cream-colored mat. There is scattered spotting, but the print is otherwise in good condition.
