At the four penny baths, from 'Summer sketches,' published in Le Charivari, August 12, 1865

Art Historical Context

In the bustling pages of *Le Charivari*, a satirical French newspaper, Honoré Daumier captured everyday absurdities of 19th Parisian life with his sharp lithographic wit. Published on August 12, 1865, as part of the "Summer Sketches" series, *At the Four Penny Baths* depicts a crowded scene at affordable public baths—known as "bains quatre sous"—where working-class men and women splash about in cramped, steamy quarters. Daumier, a master caricatur often collaborating with printers like Aaron Martinet and Destouches, used this second-state lithograph on newsprint to poke fun at social norms, hygiene habits, and the great unwashed mingling freely. Daumier's genius lies in his expressive line work and exaggerated figures, hallmarks of his Realism-infused caricature style. Rendered in black ink on inexpensive newsprint (image 9 7/16 × 8 3/4 in.), the print's loose, fluid strokes evoke the chaos of communal bathing, a vital yet unglamorous ritual for the urban poor before modern plumbing. This medium allowed for rapid production and wide distribution, amplifying Daumier's social commentary on class divides and human folly. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this lively print offers a window into Second Empire France's vibrant street culture, reminding us how art could both entertain and critique society with a single, satirical splash.