Artwork
Ah!... quelle singulière éducation vous donnez a votre fille?...
Ah!... quelle singulière éducation vous donnez a votre fille?... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1844, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier bears the title *Ah!... quelle singulière éducation vous donnez à votre fille?* and belongs to the artist’s extensive output of caricatures for Parisian periodicals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*. The print employs the lithographic technique to deliver a satirical commentary on contemporary social customs.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents a well‑dressed woman standing in a modestly furnished interior, extending her hand toward a seated woman who looks up in surprise. A young girl kneels nearby, also gazing at the standing figure. The composition suggests a moment of unexpected instruction or admonition, highlighting the peculiarities of bourgeois child‑rearing practices.
Technique & Style
Daumier’s lithograph relies on bold, expressive line work and stark contrasts of light and shadow, characteristic of his caricatural style. The simplified setting—a table, a picture on the wall, and minimal furnishings—focuses attention on the figures and their gestures, reinforcing the satirical tone through visual economy.
Context
Produced during the July Monarchy and the early years of the Second Republic, the print reflects Daumier’s ongoing critique of class structures and moral pretensions in mid‑19th‑century France. By portraying a bourgeois father’s instruction of his daughter, the work comments on the era’s educational ideals and social hierarchies.
History & Provenance
The lithograph was originally circulated in the French press, reaching a wide readership through the illustrated journals that featured Daumier’s work. Subsequent collections have preserved the print as part of the broader corpus of his socially engaged caricatures.
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.
C'est bien parce que c'est votre ami...
Eh! Ben, v'la du propre! ... on dit ...
Ce Journal trouve mon ouvrage pitoyable...
Repoussée ... une porte me reste ouverte ...
On demande une réponse par le courrier
Au revoir, Ophélia!... ne manquez pas...
(1er Bas Bleu) - Profitons de l'occasion...
Vous êtes jolie...
C'était un beau cavalier...
Ah vous trouvez que mon dernier roman n'est pas tout a fait...