A visit to the studio, from 'The difficult moments of life,' published in Le Charivari, March 28-29, 1864
March 28–29, 1864
Medium
Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 5/16 × 8 9/16 in. (23.7 × 21.7 cm) Sheet: 11 7/8 × 11 1/8 in. (30.1 × 28.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.650.361
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier's *A Visit to the Studio*, published the satirical newspaper *Le Charari* on March 28–29, 1864, captures one of "The Difficult Moments of Life"—a series of lithographs poking fun at everyday embarrassments. As a leading caricaturist of 19th-century France, Daumier skewers the pretensions of bourgeois society during the Second Empire, here depicting an awkward intrusion into an artist's workspace. The image likely shows a startled painter caught off-guard by a visitor, embodying the humor and social commentary that made Daumier a household name. Printed as a lithograph on newspr...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier · 1810–1879
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose works offered incisive commentary on the social and political life of 19th-century France. Known as the 'Michelangelo of Caricature,' Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, and 100 sculptures during his lifetime. His biting political satire led to his imp...