Artwork
On dit que les Parisiens...
On dit que les Parisiens... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The composition is set against a dark, indistinct background that isolates the group and emphasizes their animated interaction.
Honoré Daumier’s 1864 lithograph *On dit que les Parisiens…* presents a crowded group of six men whose faces are rendered with exaggerated features—large noses, bulging eyes, and unruly hair. The figures wear period clothing that suggests mid‑nineteenth‑century attire, yet their grins and caricatured expressions give them a theatrical, almost clownish quality. The composition is set against a dark, indistinct background that isolates the group and emphasizes their animated interaction.
Subject & Meaning
The print satirizes the fickle nature of Parisian public opinion, a theme underscored by the French caption that jokes about the difficulty of satisfying the city’s inhabitants. By portraying the men as both recognizable citizens and grotesque caricatures, Daumier critiques the superficiality and volatility of popular taste during a time of intense political debate in France.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the image relies on bold, simplified lines and stark contrasts of light and shadow. Daumier’s hand‑drawn approach allows for rapid, expressive strokes that heighten the exaggerated physiognomy of the subjects. The limited tonal range and the blurred backdrop are characteristic of his economical, newspaper‑ready style, intended for quick reproduction and wide dissemination.
History & Provenance
Created in 1864, the work emerged amid Daumier’s prolific period of producing caricatures for the satirical journals *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*. While primarily known as a painter and sculptor, Daumier’s print output served as a visual commentary on the republican and democratic currents shaping France after the 1848 revolutions. The lithograph has since been catalogued among his politically charged prints and is held in several public collections dedicated to 19th‑century French graphic art.
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.
Décadence du drame en 1866
Séances musicales
A travers les ateliers
Le Nouveau polichinelle napolitain
Oh! Monsieur, quel talent possède ...
A la porte Saint-Martin
Un nouveau théatre modèle
Black Cat (Le chat noir)
Dire qu'il y a des gens qui boivent de l'absinthe ...
Les Fauteuils d'orchestre
At the Opera Ball: You are having too much fun!
Introducing John L. Sullivan