Le passé Le présent L'Avenir, 1834
By Honoré Daumier

           This caricature of a French official, by Honoré Daumier has multiple modern meanings: it represents the corruption of the government as well as foreshadowing the coming February Revolution of 1848. In this caricature the official has three faces representing the past, present, and future, being cheerful, displeased, and outraged respectively. This is from the time period of King Louis Philippe and his chief advisor François Guizot, following the events of the July Revolution of 1830.
           The main point this caricature is trying to make is one about the state of the government in relation to society. King Louis Philippe was put into power because it was believed that he would be fair to all the classes, specifically the bourgeoisie and the working class. To help establish a stable government, he elected Guizot to be his chief advisor. Guizot originally had good intentions, but as Daumier's drawing shows, sometimes people's attitudes change. Guizot wanted to establish workshops to help the lower class, but ultimately his organization of the projects was flawed, and much of the government's time was spent pampering the lower class, which eventually led to the February Revolution of 1848.
           Because of this, the official's face mirrors the tensions between the government and the lower class: originally Louis Philippe was instituted to help the bourgeoisie and lower class, which caused the official to have a cheerful disposition. The government then began to ignore the lower class, causing the displeased temperament (the present, four years after Philippe came to power, 1834). The official is outraged (in the future) because of the evident revolution that is to come.
           The faces of the official also seem to reflect the government's stance towards the three classes: the lower class, the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. As stated above, although the government was supposed to be receptive to the needs of the working class, in reality it did very little to satiate their appetite for equal opportunity and rights. The bourgeoisie was also supposed to gain rights and power, but less was provided than was promised. Finally, the aristocracy, which was supposed to lose the majority of its power after the Revolution of 1830, retained it under Louis Philippe.
           Ultimately, Daumier's work presents a very liberal description (because it is is sympathizing with the lower class) of the state of the French government in the years after the Revolution of 1830. Because the drawing sends multiple messages through one depiction, it is very modern and possibly, because of this existence of artistic progressivism, avant-garde.

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