Artwork
Tiens, voila mamzelle palmyre qui fait ...
Tiens, voila mamzelle palmyre qui fait ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1855 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph presents an interior scene where a formally dressed gentleman and a woman holding an ornamental jug share the space.
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph presents an interior scene where a formally dressed gentleman and a woman holding an ornamental jug share the space. The room’s walls are covered with exaggerated caricatures, while a window in the background reveals another woman engaged in work. The composition creates a layered narrative that invites viewers to consider the relationships among the figures and the surrounding imagery.
Subject & Meaning
The central pair—man in formal attire and woman with a decorative vessel—appear amid a collection of satirical drawings that amplify the work’s critical tone. The exaggerated faces of the caricatures suggest Daumier’s intent to lampoon social types or contemporary events, while the glimpse of a working woman beyond the window adds a contrasting element of everyday labor, enriching the visual dialogue.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the piece demonstrates Daumier’s skill in manipulating the medium’s capacity for bold line work and tonal variation. The crisp outlines of the figures contrast with the looser, more gestural rendering of the background caricatures, highlighting the artist’s ability to juxtapose precise portraiture with lively, exaggerated commentary within a single print.
History & Provenance
Created during Daumier’s prolific period of social satire, the lithograph reflects his ongoing engagement with print media to reach a broad audience. While specific exhibition history is not recorded, the work aligns with his series of caricature prints that circulated in mid‑19th‑century Parisian journals, underscoring his role in the era’s visual culture.
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.
