M. Prudhomme visitant les ateliers ...
1865
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Dr. Armand Hammer)
Accession Number
2015.143.1347
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier's *M. Prudhomme visitant ateliers...* (1865) is a witty lithograph that captures the artist's signature satirical flair. Daumier, a master of 19th-century French caricature, depicts the pompous bourgeois character Monsieur Prudhomme—his recurring everyman symbol of middle-class pretension—as he awkwardly tours artists' workshops. Through exaggerated expressions and dynamic poses, Daumier pokes fun at social climbers aspiring to cultural sophistication amid the bustling ateliers of Paris. Created during the Second Empire under Napoleon III, this print reflects Daumier's lifelong...
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...