Who painted Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais...?

Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1845.

Where can I see Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais...?

Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais... is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais...?

Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais... is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais...

Honoré Daumier , 1845

Oui, mon cher monsieur Badoulard, je vais... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1845, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier presents a domestic interior where two men engage in conversation over a steaming bowl.

Created in 1845, this lithograph by Honoré Daumier presents a domestic interior where two men engage in conversation over a steaming bowl. One figure, seated at a desk, holds an open volume, while his counterpart, opposite him, listens attentively. The composition includes a window that reveals two additional figures, and a modest arrangement of cushions along the wall, lending the scene a modest, lived‑in quality.

Subject & Meaning

The work captures a moment of informal exchange, likely intended as a satirical commentary on the exchange of ideas in contemporary French society. By depicting a scholarly figure alongside a more casually dressed interlocutor, Daumier hints at the tension between intellectual discourse and everyday concerns, a recurring theme in his caricatures of the political and social climate of the July Monarchy.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the print showcases Daumier’s characteristic use of bold line work and contrasting tones. Striped clothing and dark shadows create depth, while the rising steam is rendered with delicate, stippled marks that suggest movement. The overall effect balances a rustic warmth with the sharp, observational quality that defines Daumier’s visual satire, aligning the piece with the broader Romantic interest in everyday life.

History & Provenance

Daumier produced the image while contributing regularly to the satirical journals La Caricature and Le Charivari, venues that disseminated his political critiques. The lithograph circulated among the period’s readership as part of his broader oeuvre of republican commentary. Its survival in museum collections today reflects the lasting interest in his graphic work as a document of mid‑nineteenth‑century French public discourse.

Artist & collection

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.