At the Café (Au café)
1869
Medium
lithograph printed in black
Dimensions
image: 26.3 x 33.4 cm (10 3/8 x 13 1/8 in.) sheet: 31 x 43.9 cm (12 3/16 x 17 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1953.6.82
Art Historical Context
Édouard Manet's *At the Café (Au café)*, created in 1869, the vibrant social life of Second Empire Paris through the lens of a bustling café scene. As a pioneer of modern art, Manet bridged Realism and Impressionism, often contemporary urban leisure with unflinching directness. This lithograph printed in black ink on a modest sheet measuring 31 x 43.9 cm, reflects the everyday haunts of Parisians, where café culture flourished as a hub for conversation, flirtation, and observation—mirroring the artist's fascination with modern manners. Printed from a stone using lithography, a technique Manet...
About the Artist
Edouard Manet · 1832–1883
Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was a French painter who played a pivotal role in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, often called the 'Father of Modern Art.' Born into a wealthy Parisian family, Manet defied his father's wishes for a legal career to pursue painting, studying under academic artist Thomas Couture. His revolutionary works 'Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe' and 'Olympia' (both 1863) scand...