Artwork
Oh Patrie!!!

Oh Patrie!!! 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. Created in 1840, *Oh Patrie!
About this work
Overview
Created in 1840, *Oh Patrie!!!* is a lithographic print on wove paper by the French artist Honoré Daumier. The image presents a solitary figure bundled in a long coat and hat, trudging through falling snow with a down‑turned head and a scowling expression. The darkened backdrop suggests an urban wall or building, emphasizing the figure’s isolation within a bleak winter scene.
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as a visual satire aimed at the political climate of the July Monarchy. By portraying a cold, discontented individual, Daumier alludes to the hardships and disillusionment felt by many under the restored monarchy, critiquing the ruling elite and the social order that left ordinary citizens exposed to hardship.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the print employs bold, gestural lines and stark contrasts between dark shadows and the white of the snow. Daumier’s characteristic caricatural exaggeration is evident in the figure’s contorted facial expression, while the composition’s limited palette reinforces the somber, critical tone typical of his mid‑19th‑century satirical oeuvre.
History & Provenance
Daumier produced the print for the satirical journals *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*, venues through which he regularly disseminated republican commentary. The lithograph circulated widely among the period’s politically engaged readership, reflecting the artist’s commitment to using print media as a tool for social critique during a turbulent era in French history.
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.



















