On the train, from 'The difficult moments of life,' published in Le Charivari, March 12, 1864
March 12, 1864
Medium
Lithograph on newsprint; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 8 7/8 × 8 9/16 in. (22.6 × 21.8 cm) Sheet: 11 13/16 × 11 5/16 in. (30 × 28.7 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
62.650.360
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French caricature, created *On the Train*, a lithograph from his series *The Difficult Moments Life*, published in the satirical newspaper *Le Charari* on March 12, 1864. printer Aaron Martinet and publisherouches, Daumier the awkward social encounters between men and women aboard the era's burgeoning train network—a symbol of modern progress amid France's Second Empire. This second-state impression on newsprint exemplifies Daumier's prolific output of over 4,000 lithographs, skewered bourgeois pretensions and everyday absurdities. Lithography's greasy...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier|Aaron Martinet|Destouches · 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...