Artwork
Il me semble que nous allons dèrailler ...
Il me semble que nous allons dèrailler ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The composition captures the sudden jolt of early train travel, a subject that resonated with mid‑nineteenth‑century anxieties about the new mode of transport.
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph Il me semble que nous allons dèrailler depicts a moment inside a rattling railway carriage. Three passengers occupy the scene: a startled woman clutching her seat, a gesticulating man leaning forward, and a detached figure absorbed in a newspaper. The composition captures the sudden jolt of early train travel, a subject that resonated with mid‑nineteenth‑century anxieties about the new mode of transport.
Subject & Meaning
The work juxtaposes contrasting reactions to the train’s motion. The woman’s wide eyes and tight grip convey fear and uncertainty, reflecting contemporary public unease about railway safety. By contrast, the animated man appears eager or conversational, while the third passenger remains indifferent, absorbed in reading. This range of attitudes underscores the social spectrum of responses to technological change.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, Daumier employs bold, decisive lines to render the carriage’s interior and the figures’ gestures. The stark shading accentuates the sudden lurch, while the simplified forms focus attention on body language rather than detail. The medium’s capacity for rapid reproduction aligns with Daumian’s interest in capturing fleeting, everyday moments.
Context
Created in the 1850s, the print emerges at a time when railways were expanding across France and public apprehension about accidents was widespread. Daumier’s choice of a railway scene reflects the era’s fascination and trepidation toward industrial progress, situating the work within broader debates about modernity and risk.
Legacy
While not as widely reproduced as Daumier’s caricatures, this lithograph contributes to his broader commentary on 19th‑century urban life. It illustrates his ability to translate social observation into concise visual narratives, influencing later depictions of public transport and the everyday anxieties of modernity.
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.
En Chemin de fer... un voisin agréable (On the Railroad: A Pleasant Neighbor)
Monsieur le concierge, allant en soirée
En Chemin de fer... un voisin agréable (On the Railroad... an agreeable neighbor)
Précaution indispensable que prennent les Parisiens ...
Toujours la heunesse-flourens
Attendez... il faut encore ceci...
Tiens ... ma femme avec un monsieur ...
Votre maison me fait l'effet de devoir ...
Tiens, mon ami, voici M. Chapoulard ...