“- Adelaide, Adelaide.. I think I can see the comet coming!!... - Oh my God... this is the end of the world.... how annoying. They promised it wouldn't come until June 13!,” plate 31 from Croquis Pari

“- Adelaide, Adelaide.. I think I can see the comet coming!!... - Oh my God... this is the end of the world.... how annoying. They promised it wouldn't come until June 13!,” plate 31 from Croquis Parisiens (February 18, 1857) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Honoré Victorin Daumier French, 1808-1879.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

After the Comet of Charles V failed to reappear in the 1840s, as astronomers predicted, a Belgian almanac writer announced that it would arrive on June 13, 1857, when it would collide with the earth and end all life. The prediction spread across Europe, but its effect was particularly pronounced in Paris, where terrified families began to prepare for the end. The situation was ripe for mockery, and it also enabled Daumier to compose a variety of night scenes, which he particularly enjoyed drawing. In this print, he devotes particular care to depicting how the candle illuminates his panicked Parisians.

Object facts

• Title: “- Adelaide, Adelaide.. I think I can see the comet coming!!... - Oh my God... this is the end of the world.... how annoying. They promised it wouldn't come until June 13!,” plate 31 from Croquis Parisiens
• Date: February 18, 1857
• Artist attribution: Honoré Victorin Daumier French, 1808-1879
• Place of origin: France
• Medium: Lithograph in black on ivory wove paper
• Dimensions: Image: 20.4 × 25.9 cm (8 1/16 × 10 1/4 in.); Sheet: 25.2 × 36 cm (9 15/16 × 14 3/16 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1929.673

Collection credit

Gift of Charles E. Worcester

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.