Lot Essay
'On a rocky mound an obese figure of a man dressed in mourning, his hands clasped in prayer, bows his head in seeming grief. Behind him to the left a funeral cortege followed by a large crowd moves slowly towards Père Lachaise Cemetery. The massive central figure represents the King, Louis-Philippe. The funeral is that of General Lafayette.
After the July Revolution, Lafayette hailed Louis-Philippe as King of the French. The General was then named, by the Provisory Government, Commandant of the National Guard, the rank he had held in 1789 when the Revolution began. In December of 1830, the King abolished the Guard. Lafayette was dismissed without pay. He returned to his seat in the Chamber as a liberal, strongly opposed to the new restrictive policies of the King. Lafayette died in 1834 (E. Mongan, The Armand Hammer Daumier Collection, The Armand Hammer Foundation, Los Angeles).
This graphic assault on the sham mourning by the King was issued in L'Association Mensuelle in May 1834.
After the July Revolution, Lafayette hailed Louis-Philippe as King of the French. The General was then named, by the Provisory Government, Commandant of the National Guard, the rank he had held in 1789 when the Revolution began. In December of 1830, the King abolished the Guard. Lafayette was dismissed without pay. He returned to his seat in the Chamber as a liberal, strongly opposed to the new restrictive policies of the King. Lafayette died in 1834 (E. Mongan, The Armand Hammer Daumier Collection, The Armand Hammer Foundation, Los Angeles).
This graphic assault on the sham mourning by the King was issued in L'Association Mensuelle in May 1834.