A satirical lithograph by Félix Vallotton from 1901, depicting a stern office dismissal for tardiness with his signature bold, graphic style.

This lithograph by Félix Vallotton appeared in the French satirical weekly, L'Assiette au Beurre, in 1901. The image captures a moment of bureaucratic dismissal, where a clerk is informed that his employment has ceased due to his tardiness. The clock on the wall reads ten past one, providing the visual evidence for the caption below: Une heure dix... Monsieur vous ne faites plus partie de la maison! (Ten past one... Sir, you are no longer part of the firm!). Vallotton employs his characteristic style of bold, flat black shapes and stark contrasts to convey the scene. The composition is divided by the desk, placing the viewer behind the shoulder of the dismissed employee, while the stern manager stands opposite. The use of negative space and simplified forms is typical of the Nabis group, of which Vallotton was a member. His work often explored the tensions of bourgeois life, using sharp lines and minimal detail to strip away unnecessary elements, leaving only the essential narrative components. This print reflects the artist's interest in social commentary and the rigid structures of the early twentieth-century workplace. The starkness of the black ink against the paper creates a graphic quality that is both immediate and unsettling. By focusing on the mundane cruelty of office hierarchy, Vallotton provides a glimpse into the social anxieties of the era. The work remains a clear example of his ability to distil complex human interactions into a single, punchy visual statement, devoid of sentimentality or excessive ornamentation. It is a piece that speaks to the cold efficiency of the industrial age, rendered with the precision and wit that defined his career as a printmaker and illustrator.