“- But you told me that children are not allowed in this house... - Sir, these are not children... they are the sons of the owner!...,” plate 23 from Croquis Parisiens, - par Daumier
Medium
Lithograph in black on buff wove paper, with letterpress verso
Dimensions
Image: 21 × 26.6 cm (8 5/16 × 10 1/2 in.); Sheet: 24.8 × 31.8 cm (9 13/16 × 12 9/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21617
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier’s 1857 lithograph captures a wry moment of Parisian social comedy. The caption reveals a servant’s flustered explanation when confronted with children in a house where they are supposedly forbidden: are not just any children, but the owner’s sons. This humorous exchange highlights the rigid class distinctions and domestic hierarchies of mid-nineteenth-century Paris, themes Daumier returned to throughout his career. Created as plate 23 in the album *Croquis Parisiens*, the work exemplifies Daumier’s mastery of lithography. The medium’s ability to produce multiple impressions all...
About the Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier · 1808–1879
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...