Relaxation during the dog days, plate 33 from Les Bons Bourgeois
Medium
Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 26.3 × 22.8 cm (10 3/8 × 9 in.); Sheet: 33.9 × 26 cm (13 3/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
79937
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Daumier dedicated several series over the course of his career to mocking the rising middle class in Paris. One way to efficiently strip the bourgeoisie of their dignity was to remove their clothing, and Daumier produced numerous scenes of middle-class swimmers, both male and female. In this print, both men cling to some vestige of dress—one carries his parasol, while the second continues to wear his top hat, a symbol of the bourgeoisie, even when half submerged in water. These accessories only ...
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...