The Madeleine-Bastille Bus Line, A trifle, a nothing... and the bus is full, published in Souvenirs d'Artistes
March 16, 1862
Medium
Lithograph; second state of two (Delteil)
Dimensions
Image: 9 7/16 × 8 9/16 in. (24 × 21.8 cm) Sheet: 17 9/16 × 12 3/8 in. (44.6 × 31.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.92.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Honoré Daumier’s 1862 lithograph captures the everyday chaos of Parisian life with his signature wit. Published in the album *Souvenirs d’Artistes*, the print shows a crowded Madeleine-Bastille omnibus, where a minor incident—“a trifle, a nothing”—suddenly fills every seat. Daumier, a master of caricature during France’s Second Empire, uses the scene to gently mock the rapid growth of the capital and the new discomforts of urban mobility. As a lithograph printed in two states, the work reflects the medium’s importance in 19th-century France. Affordable and reproducible, lithography allowed ar...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier|Bertauts · 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...