Who painted Désillusion!?

Désillusion! was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1843.

Where can I see Désillusion!?

Désillusion! is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Désillusion!?

Désillusion! is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Désillusion!

Honoré Daumier , 1843

Désillusion! is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1843 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s 1843 lithograph Désillusion! captures a modest street tableau. A narrow shop front marked EPICERIES dominates the composition, its façade accented by a slanted ladder that leans against the wall. A solitary figure, positioned beside the ladder, anchors the scene, offering a glimpse into ordinary urban activity in mid‑nineteenth‑century Paris.

Subject & Meaning

The work isolates a fleeting moment of everyday commerce, emphasizing the quiet labor of a shopkeeper or passerby. By focusing on a single individual amid a simple storefront, Daumier hints at broader social currents—namely the routine struggles and modest aspirations of the burgeoning middle class during a period of rapid urban change.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the image relies on fine cross‑hatching and delicate line work to model space and texture. Daumier’s use of chiaroscuro through varied shading creates a sense of depth, while the crisp lettering on the shop sign and the angular ladder provide visual anchors that guide the viewer’s eye across the composition.

History & Provenance

Created in 1843, Désillusion! belongs to Daumier’s early period, when he was establishing his reputation as a social commentator through prints. The lithograph was produced in limited numbers and circulated among the artist’s contemporaries, contributing to his growing influence on French visual satire before later entering museum collections.

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.