Quel dommage que cette charmante... femme...
1846
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1953.6.40
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier's *Quel dommage que cette charmante femme...* (1846) is a quintessential lithograph from the height of his prolific career as a satirical printmaker. Created during France's July Monarchy under King Louis-Philippe, Daumier produced thousands of such images for periodicals like *Le Charivari*, skewering the bourgeoisie, lawyers, and social hypocrisies. The—"What a pity that charming... woman..."—rips with irony, likely poking fun at courtroom dramas or gender expectations, a recurring theme in his incisive caricatures that captured the era's tensions leading toward the 1848 Revol...
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...