Artwork

La famille de l'électeur

La famille de l'électeur, by Honoré Daumier, ink, 1843
La famille de l'électeur, by Honoré Daumier, ink, 1843

La famille de l'électeur 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

La famille de l'électeur, a lithograph by Honoré Daumier, portrays a domestic scene of four family members gathered in a doorway, frozen in a moment of everyday interaction.

Subject & Meaning

The composition subtly conveys social hierarchies and roles of the time through attire: the older man's top hat signifies his status, the woman's traditional dress reflects her domestic role, and the child's presence underscores family dynamics.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the work leverages the medium's expressive capabilities, characteristic of Daumier's practice, to render the scene with nuanced textures and tonal depth.

History & Provenance

Limited historical context is provided about the work's creation or ownership history, highlighting a need for further research into its provenance and original exhibition or publication circumstances.

Context

Created during a period of social change, the piece offers a glimpse into the private lives of a mid-19th-century family, contrasting with Daumier's more overtly political works, by focusing on intimate, universal themes.

Legacy

As part of Daumier's lithographic oeuvre, 'La famille de l'électeur' contributes to the artist's legacy of capturing the human experience, influencing subsequent generations of artists in depicting everyday life.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Honoré Daumier

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.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.