The Laundress
186[3?]
Medium
Oil on oak
Dimensions
19 1/4 x 13 in. (48.9 x 33 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Lillie P. Bliss, 1931
Accession Number
47.122
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of 19th-century Paris, Honoré Daumier captured the quiet dignity of everyday laborers in *The Laundress* (ca. 1863), a poignant oil painting on oak panel measuring just 19¼ × 13 inches. Daumier, a master of French Realism, was renowned for his empathetic portrayals of the working class amid the social upheavals of the Industrial Revolution. This intimate-scale work, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks to the bequest of Lillie P. Bliss in 1931, highlights the tag-worthy themes of women and children, evoking the tireless routines of urban laundresses who toiled along the Se...
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...