Artwork
Une heure
Une heure is a crayon print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1839 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1839, *Une heure* is a black crayon lithograph on wove paper by the French artist Honoré Daumier. The work belongs to his extensive output of satirical prints made for popular Parisian periodicals such as *La Caricature* and *Le Charivari*. It exemplifies Daumier’s habit of using the lithographic medium to comment on contemporary society with a sharp, humorous edge.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a flamboyantly dressed man with an oversized nose and a wide grin, captured mid‑stride as he kicks a small dog. Two other figures sit passively on a bench, while a tiny inset shows a sleeping face under a blanket. The exaggerated pose and title, meaning “an hour,” suggest a fleeting, comic moment that mocks pretentious behavior and indifference within everyday life.
Technique & Style
The fluid handling of the medium reflects his practice of rapid, observational drawing suited to the fast‑turnaround demands of newspaper illustration.
Daumier employed crayon on lithographic stone, producing quick, sketch‑like lines that convey movement and spontaneity. The use of black ink on smooth wove paper enhances contrast, allowing the artist’s caricatured features and dynamic composition to stand out. The fluid handling of the medium reflects his practice of rapid, observational drawing suited to the fast‑turnaround demands of newspaper illustration.
History & Provenance
The print emerged during a period of intense political change in France following the 1830 July Revolution, a time when Daumier’s republican sympathies informed his critique of monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy. Originally published in a satirical journal, the work later entered private collections and is now documented in museum catalogues as a representative example of Daumier’s early lithographic output.
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.
