Excellent Placement. – Comment Ernest tu as cent mille francs et tu ne me les donne pas ! tu as donc perdu la tête, mon pauvre ami...... - Mais, mon cher, ils sont placés, et très bien placés... à 6 pour cent. – 6% !!! 6% !!! décidément tu es malade, mon bon, mais si je ne te donnais pas 50% , 100% , j’aimerais mieux te rien donner du tout, moi !
Excellent Placement. – Comment Ernest tu as cent mille francs et tu ne me les donne pas ! tu as donc perdu la tête, mon pauvre ami...... - Mais, mon cher, ils sont placés, et très bien placés... à 6 pour cent. – 6% !!! 6% !!! décidément tu es malade, mon bon, mais si je ne te donnais pas 50% , 100% , j’aimerais mieux te rien donner du tout, moi !
Title (alt.):
An Excellent Investment. - Earnest what do you mean you have 100,000Francs you don't want to give them to me! you must have lost your mind, my good friend...... - But, my dear friend, I have invested them, and in three places...at 6 percent. - 6% !!! 6% !!! no doubt you must be mad, my dear boy, but if I gave you 50% , 100% , I wouldn't even have mentioned it to you!. Charivari
Description:
Robert Macaire is explaining how he has invested the man's money. The print shown here is a very special one, second state of two. It is one of the color models by Bouvenne, which presumably have been used for the coloring of prints. There remain questions whether they have really been used, since the final colored versions show differences to the models of Bouvenne. A similar copy can be found under DR 875 and DR 433. The latter print is in the British Museum. Robert Macaire may seem to be a realistic figure, however one should remember that in reality he is an artificial personality, created in 1823 by Benjamin Antier for his play „ L’Auberge des Adrets“. The breakthrough came in 1834, when Frédéric Lemaitre used the names of Macaire and his somewhat simple partner Serres-Bertrand for his various comedies in Paris. The figure of Macaire goes back as far as 1371, when - as the legend goes - Aubri de Montdidier, a nobleman from the court of Charles V was assassinated by Macaire. The murder was vindicated by his dog, the only witness of the assassination. A duel between the dog and Macaire, who was armed with a cudgel, should settle the case. The dog killed Macaire, who confessed the murder before he died. Macaire personified the clever business man, who was willing at any time to throw moral and ethical principles overboard for a quick buck. His personality fitted exactly to the period so well described by Alexis de Tocqueville: self-enrichment at all levels and a Government run on shareholders principles. Short-selling, pyramid systems, investments in Californian gold mines and IPOs of non existent companies were the name of the game. Thanks to Macaire and Bertrand, all the little tricks were demonstrated in detail to the public.
Copyright restrictions may apply. For permission to copy or use this image, contact the Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections Department, Brandeis University Libraries. The following credit line must be included with each item used: Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman Collection of Honoré Daumier Lithographs, Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University.
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Place of origin:
Paris
Notes:
2nd state.
Published in: Le Charivari, May 19, 1841.
Notes (acquisition):
Donated by: Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman, 1959.
