Daumier: Imprisoned for painting a cartoon of the king

Honoré-Victorin Daumier’s sense of humor - or cynicism - is conveyed in Le défenseur. Is the former errand boy to a bailiff depicting these courtly lawyers as fools with their overemphatic gestures? This is a likely verdict as hidden in the drawing the men are looking at is the French expression “brasser du vent,” meaning “blow hot air.” The sentiment isn’t a secret as it’s brought to life by the cloud in front of the attorney’s open mouth and consistent with Daumier’s material. His cartoon of King Louis-Philippe cost him 6 months in jail.