It is with the greatest pleasure that we can introduce you to some relatively unknown Daumier lithographs. In 1835/1836 the Parisian publishing house Aubert offered the so-called ‘Macédoines”, small booklets measuring only 14 x 9 cm containing an alphabet with easy to understand texts for children. At the end of the booklet an accordion-like ‘Panorama’ showing the 24 letters of the French alphabet in conjunction with charming images by Daumier was added. The children were invited by the publisher to hand-colour the pictures, thus playfully learning the alphabet.

As you may have or still will experience with your own children, these booklets did not withstand the onslaught of the creative little hands of children; they subsequently disappeared over time. Presently only three complete, hand-coloured ‘Panoramas’ still exist at the Morgan Library in New York, at Harvard and at the Princeton-Cotsen Library. Only one single, ‘untouched’ black and white copy can presently be found in the Noack private collection in Switzerland.

We invite you to see these unusual and delightful little works of Art by Daumier HERE and read al the details.