Artwork
Les bains a quatre sous
Les bains a quatre sous is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1858 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s 1858 lithograph Les bains à quatre sous presents a crowded indoor setting where figures are actively emerging from a pool surrounded by nets. Above the scene, acrobatic performers entertain the assembled crowd, creating a sense of motion and communal amusement. The composition is organized with vigorous, bold lines that convey the bustling atmosphere of the gathering.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a lively public bath, a social space where patrons of varied backgrounds converge. The juxtaposition of water‑bound figures and aerial entertainers highlights the interplay between leisure and spectacle, suggesting a commentary on the convivial, yet chaotic, nature of urban communal life in mid‑nineteenth‑century France.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, Daumier employs strong, decisive strokes that define the figures and their surroundings with clarity. The medium’s capacity for rapid, expressive line work enables the depiction of movement, while the contrast between the dense crowd and the airy acrobats underscores the artist’s skill in rendering dynamic scenes within a single print.
History & Provenance
Created in 1858, the lithograph reflects Daumier’s interest in everyday subjects and his prolific output of socially charged images. While specific ownership records are limited, the work forms part of the artist’s broader series of prints that document contemporary Parisian life, illustrating his engagement with popular entertainment venues of the period.
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.
