Honoré Daumier was born in Marseilles into the family of a glazier, who was fond of poetry and even wrote his own verses. In 1814, the family moved to Paris. Daumier started to study art in 1822 under the renowned artist and archaeologist Alexandre Lenoir. The financial situation forced Daumier to earn his living as a delivery boy, while at his spare time he sketched at the Louvre. About 1828, he learned the technique of lithography and began to work for small publishing houses. After the revolution of 1830 in the atmosphere of freedom of speech in France the role of mass media grew and the art of political satire flourished. In 1830, Daumier started to work for Philipon’s “Caricature” and “Le Charivari.”
A caricaturist famous for his scathing social commentary, Daumier earned his reputation primarily as a draughtsman. It was not until a posthumous exhibition held in Paris in 1878 that his paintings gained wide recognition. While Daumier’s political cartoons are often pointed—savagely precise in their references and implications—many of his paintings rely on ambiguity and nuance. This unfinished composition has been variously identified as a dramatic scene of escape and a mundane illustration of a house painter at work. With its bold, graphic style and equivocal subject, this painting is among the most shockingly modern pictures produced in the mid-nineteenth century.
For more biographical notes see part 1, and for earlier works, see parts 1 and 2 also.
This is part 3 of a major 23-part series on the works of Honoré Daumier:
1839 Les Pratique des Marchands de Paris (Merchant Practices):
1839 Moeurs Conjugales (Conjuagal Mores):
1839 Scènes Grotesques (Grotesque Scenes):
1840 Proverbes de Famille (Family Proverbs):
1840 Silhouettes:
1841-42 Bohêmiens de Paris (Bohemiens of Paris):
1841 Les Etrangers à Paris (Strangers in Paris):
1841 Les Musiciens de Paris:
1841 Physionomies Tragico-Classiques:
1842 Actualités (Current Affairs):
1842-43 Histoire Ancienne (Ancient History):
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| 1839 Monsieur est malade, il ne recoit personne. lithograph on newsprint 26.3 x 18.3 cm Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
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| 1839 Théâtre du Vaudeville - Passé Minuit lithograph on newsprint 22.8 x 20.9 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
1839 Les Pratique des Marchands de Paris (Merchant Practices):
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| 1842 No.2. On flaire la merchandise… avant de la mecaniser!... lithograph 15.9 x 23 cm ( image ) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia |
1839 Moeurs Conjugales (Conjuagal Mores):
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| 1839 No.1. Je t'ai épousée pour charmer mon existence et il n'y a rien qui me fait plaisir, comme de ne rien porter du tout. colour lithograph 36 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1839 No.13. Cré nom! Si on réfléchissait! colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1839 No.14. Il n'ya pourtant qu'une heure que je le tire! colour lithograph 33 x 24 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1840 No.22. C'est ma femme!! oh!… lithograph with hand colouring on wove paper 23.8 x 20 cm ( image ) |
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| 1840 No.24. Je te le dis toujours,avec ton sucre tu lui mineras la santé, tu vois bien que ça l'echauffe. colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1840 No.25. Effet de lunes colour lithograph 35 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Pubic Library, MA |
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| 1841 No.38. Ah! tu trouves que ta femme ne te soigne pas assez, brigand; quand tu dépenses tout, canaille!… colour lithograph 36 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
1839 Scènes Grotesques (Grotesque Scenes):
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| 1839 No.3. Depuis six mois monsieur chante faux! Madame joue pareillement et les voisins donnent congé! colour lithograph 33 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
1840 Proverbes de Famille (Family Proverbs):
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| 1840 No.2. Ah! monstre, vous vous permettez... lithograph on paper National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
1840 Silhouettes:
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| 1840 No.5. Le portier en tournée de visites du jour de l'An. lithograph 36 x 26.5 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1840 No.6. La Pipe Matinale. Le Tabac de caporal... lithograph 36.1 x 27.5 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1840 No.7. L'Habitué de la Boutique de Félix. lithograph 36.6 x 26.7 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1840 No.8. Le Distrait. Cet artiste revient du salon, et... lithograph 35.9 x 27.5 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
1841-42 Bohêmiens de Paris (Bohemiens of Paris):
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| 1841 No.1. Le M.d de chaines de suretés. hand-coloured lithograph and gum arabic 23.8 x 18.7 cm ( image ) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne |
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| 1842 No.19. Le Claqueur. lithograph on newsprint 38 x 26 cm ( sheet ) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| 1842 No.21. Le Tondeur de chiens. lithograph 24.1 x 20.3 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
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| 1842 No.22. Le marchand d'habits. lithograph 35.9 x 27.9 cm ( sheet ) National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne |
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| 1842 No.25. Le Membre de toutes les Académies. lithograph on newsprint 24.7 x 20.3 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
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| 1842 No.26. L'Ami d'un grand homme. colour lithograph 35 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
1841 Les Etrangers à Paris (Strangers in Paris):
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| 1844 No.15 Les Étrangers a Paris. Les Étrangers dévisagés par eux-mêmes lithograph on wove paper with pen and ink inscription 27.2 x 21.5 cm ( image ) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
1841 Les Musiciens de Paris:
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| 1841 No.1. - "Adieu! Adieu! à la Grâce de Dieu. Adieu. Adieu! etc." colour lithograph 34 x 28 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
1841 Physionomies Tragico-Classiques:
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| 1841 No.2. Pour qui sont ces Serpents qui siflent sur vos têtes? lithograph 27.7 x 35.8 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1841 No.3. Va faire chez les Grecs admirer ta fureur... lithograph 27.5 x 36 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1841 No.5. Le jour n'est pas plus pur que le fond de mon cœur. lithograph 27.5 x 35.7 cm ( image ) |
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| 1841 No.6. Oui je viens, dans son temple, adorer L'Eternel lithograph |
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| 1841 No.7. Ta main vient d'immoler Britannicus ton frère... lithograph 27.5 x 35.8 cm ( image ) |
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| 1841 No.8. Rodrigue as-tu du cœur? lithograph 27.6 x 35.6 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1841 No.9. Caché près de ces lieux, je vous verrai, Madame; Renfermez votre amour dans le fonds de votre âme. (Britannicus) colour lithograph 26 x 34 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1841 No.11. Qu'il mourût! lithograph 27.4 x 35.9 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1841 No.13. Oui c'est Agamemnon, c'est ton Roi qui t'éveille... lithograph 27.6 x 35.8 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1841 No.14. "Sortez !" lithograph 27.8 x 35.8 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1841 No.15. Mon char, mes javelots, tout cela m'importune... lithograph 27.8 x 35.6 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
1842 Actualités (Current Affairs):
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| 1842 No.52. Charmè de se voir exposè… lithograph on newsprint 32.1 x 25.1 cm ( sheet ) Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
1842-43 Histoire Ancienne (Ancient History):
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| 1842 No.2. La veille des Thermopyles. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.3. Achille sous sa tente. lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.15. Enée et Didon. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.16. Le fil d'Ariane. colour lithograph 36 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.17. Énée aux enfers. colour lithograph 36 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.18. Bon mot du temps. colour lithograph 35 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.19. Jeunesse d'Alcibiade. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.20. Alexandre et Diogène. colour lithograph 35 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.22. Le baptême d'Achille. hand-coloured lithograph 36 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.23. Le beau Narcisse. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.25. Hercule dompté par l'amour. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.30. Denys le tyran. colour lithograph 36 x 27 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.31. La chute d'Icare. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.36. Apelles et Campaste. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.40. Le désespoir de Calypso. colour lithograph 35 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.41. Hippolyte lardé par Cupidon. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.44. La mort d'Anacréon. colour lithograph 35 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.45. Endymion. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1842 No.49 La Mort de Sapho. lithograph 23.8 x 18.7 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
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| 1843 No.49. La mort de Sapho. colour lithograph 35 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1843 No.50. Clémence de Minos. colour lithograph 35 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |