Who painted Comme on fait son lit on se couche?

Comme on fait son lit on se couche was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1840.

Where can I see Comme on fait son lit on se couche?

Comme on fait son lit on se couche is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Comme on fait son lit on se couche?

Comme on fait son lit on se couche is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Comme on fait son lit on se couche

Honoré Daumier , 1840

Comme on fait son lit on se couche is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumée’s lithograph titled *Comme on fait son lit on se couche* presents a compact, monochrome scene in which a rider and a stooped pedestrian share a narrow space. The print’s stark black‑white palette and the inclusion of a proverb phrase frame the image as a visual proverb, inviting viewers to consider the implied moral.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a mounted figure with a hunched, walking man, suggesting a contrast between status and labor. By pairing the visual with a familiar saying, Daumée underscores a satirical observation on social hierarchy, implying that one’s position determines both the literal and figurative ‘bed’ one must occupy.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the work relies on the medium’s capacity for fine line work and tonal variation. Daumée employs a limited palette of ink tones to render texture and depth, while the surrounding text is integrated into the print surface, a common practice in 19th‑century French caricature that blurs the boundary between image and caption.

Context

Produced during Daumée’s prolific period of social commentary, the piece reflects the era’s fascination with proverbs as moral shorthand. The print aligns with contemporary satirical publications that used everyday sayings to critique class relations, situating the work within a broader tradition of visual wit in French graphic art.

Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

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.