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 - 4 also.
This is part 5 of a major 23-part series on the works of Honoré Daumier:
1845-46 Professeurs et Moutards (Professers and Brats):
1845 Voyage en Chine (Voyage to China):
1846 Actualités (Current Affairs):
1846-47 Les Bons Bourgeois (The Good Bourgeois):
1845-50 Various:
1845-46 Professeurs et Moutards (Professers and Brats):
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| 1845 No.2. La Vielle Méthode. lithograph 18.7 x 25 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.4. Une Émeute. lithograph 17.7 x 25.4 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.5. Un surveillant oblige de fermer l'œil sur la conduite de ses élèves. lithograph 29.2 x 38.4 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.7. Çomme quoi la gymnastique forme les membres, mais dèforme le nez. lithograph 19.3 x 24.1 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.8. Un jeune homme pour qui rien n'est sacré. lithograph 27.8 x 35.8 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.10. Monsieu Adophe Chamouillard vous vous montrerez... lithograph 27.8 x 35.7 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.11. Attends, attends... j'te vas en donner moi du maitre d'école!... lithograph 27.5 x 35.7 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.14. Le dortoir d’un pensionnat bien tenu. lithograph 18.2 x 25.4 cm ( image ) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
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| 1846 No.15. Elèves de sixième voulant jouer aux rhétorciens. lithograph 18.5 x 23.2 cm ( image ) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
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| 1846 No.16 Promenade hygiénique et sentimentale... lithograph 18.8 x 23.9 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1846 No.19. Triste sort des professeurs dans les années fertiles en hannetons! lithograph 19.6 x 24.6 cm ( image ) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
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| 1846 No.21 Ah! Tu rapportes tout au maitre, toi... lithograph 19.8 x 24.8 cm ( image ) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |
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| 1846 No.23. Vous voyez… l'ordre le plus parfait règne… lithograph 24.7 x 36 cm ( sheet ) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. MA |
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| 1846 No.24 Two students try to sell their Latin dictionary lithograph 27.7 x 35.7 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
1845 Voyage en Chine (Voyage to China):
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| 1845 No.1. Le Débarquement. Tout voyageur qui aborde un port de la Chine... lithograph 27.5 x 35.8 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.5 La Justice chinoise. Les avocats chinois se démènent si fort... lithograph 27.6 x 36 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.6. Décence Chinoise... lithograph 35.8 x 27.3 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.7 Mariage Chinois. L'adresse du pêcheur à tendre ses filets... lithograph 36 x 27.4 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.8 Mariez-vous donc... en Chine. lithograph 35.8 x 27.5 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.11. Pudicité Chinoise. Les chinois adorent la décence... lithograph 35.5 x 27.5 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.14. La Polka. Le peuple Chinois, peuple éminemment observateur et judicieux... lithograph 35.8 x 27.5 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.15. Fumeurs et Priseurs. - Il ne faut pas croire que tous les chinois s'abrutissent avec de l'opium... lithograph 27.4 x 35.6 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.21. Les Mendiants. La mendicité est formellement interdite à Pékin... lithograph 27.4 x 35.8 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.25. Le 1er Jour de l'An. - Les chinois d'après une vieille et respectable tradition... lithograph 27.8 x 35.8 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.28. Les Plaisirs du Carnaval. Pendant trois jours de l'année... lithograph 27.5 x 35.6 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.29. Des Auteurs Légers. On croit généralement en Europe que les vaudevilles... lithograph 27.4 x 35.7 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.30. Industrie Chinoise. Les Chinois sont eminemment industrieux... lithograph 35.8 x 27.8 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
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| 1845 No.32. Manière Chinoise lithograph 35.8 x 27.3 cm ( image ) Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
1846 Actualités (Current Affairs):
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| 1846 No.125. Mariage de l'Epoque et du Constitutionnel. - Bilboquet - Couple vertueux... lithograph 35.6 x 26.1 cm Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris |
1846-47 Les Bons Bourgeois (The Good Bourgeois):
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| 1846 No.14. Ce que le bourgeois est convenu de nommer une petite distraction. colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1846 No.17. Dites donc, Ravignard, si nos femmes nous voyaient! Faut avouer que nous sommes de fameux mauvais sujets! colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1846 No.18. Il est devenu pro-pri-é-taire! colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1846 No.21. Dire pourtant que nous avons un fils qui est enfin avocat, voilà un honneur pour la famille. … colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1846 No.24 Guide, allons nous en, au nom du ciel allons nous en, où diable ai-je eu la tête de quitter Paris… colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Publc Library, MA |
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| 1846 No.26. Ah! Il est frais... ah! Il est frais... mais t'nez donc garçon,... colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1846 No.33. Divertissement caniculaire. colour lithograph 34 x25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1847 No.29. Inconvénient de quitter un instant un convoi de chemin de fer sous n'importe quel pretexte. colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1847 No.41. Ah! Sapristi, je crois que ce sont des oiseaux de proie. Ils mangeaient du raisin! colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1847 No.42. Je crois que j'ai entendu chanter un hibou. Qu'est-ce que ça peut bien m'annoncer? colour lithograph 34 x 25 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1847 No.43. Plus souvent que tu m'attraperas encore à satisfaire ta fantasie... lithograph on newsprint 25.4 x 22.8 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
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| 1847 No.59. Le Départ Pour le Bal. lithograph 32.2 x 24.2 cm ( sheet ) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA |
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| 1847 No.62. Entrez donc, monsieur...ne vous gênez pas... lithograph on newsprint 24.4 x 21.5 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
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| 1847 No.67. Je ne suis pourtant jamais tranquille quand j'te vois sortir comme ça… colour lithograph 34 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
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| 1847 No.73. Nous ne partirons donc pas!... lithograph 24.7 x 21.6 cm ( image ) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA |
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| 1847 No.76. La rentrée entre onze heures et minuit. colour lithograph 34 x 26 cm ( sheet ) Boston Public Library, MA |
1845-50 Various:
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| 1845-48 A Lawyer Reading a Document oil on canvas 41.3 x 33 cm Bühler, Robert ( Estate ), Winterthur, Switzerland |
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| 1845-48 A Man and His Child oil on panel 37 x 28.5 cm Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
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| 1845-48 A Street in Paris oil on panel 28.5 x 19.5 cm Ordrupgaard Samlingen, Charlottenlund, Copenhagen |
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| 1845-48 On a Bridge at Night oil on wood panel 27.3 x 21.9 cm The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC |
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| 1845-48 The Night Walkers oil on panel 28.9 x 18.7 cm National Museum Wales, Cardiff, UK |
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| 1845-48 Two Barristers oil on panel 34 x 26 cm Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, France |
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| 1845-48 Two Male Heads 16.7 x 15 cm Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands |
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| 1845-50 Jesus Christ and His Disciples oil on canvas 66 x 82 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| 1845-50c Triumphant Advocate oil on canvas 60.3 x 45.1 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA |
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| 1845-50c Two Putti Striving for Fruits oil on canvas 130 x 94 cm National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo |
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| 1846-48c The Bathers oil on panel 25.4 x 32.1 cm The Burrell Collection, UK |
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| 1847 An Idyll in the Wheat lithograph 24.4 x 22 cm ( image ) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT |