Artwork
V'la une p'tite femme qu'est pas paresseuse ...
V'la une p'tite femme qu'est pas paresseuse ... is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph presents a brief theatrical tableau in which a woman in an ample gown strains to pull a rope, while a second figure sits serenely, holding an object near the face. The composition captures a moment of juxtaposed effort and repose on a bare stage, rendered in the bold lines typical of Daumier’s print work.
Subject & Meaning
The print contrasts a laboring female figure with an idle, possibly masked, seated companion, suggesting a satirical commentary on the disparity between industriousness and pretended leisure. By pairing exertion with non‑action, Daumier hints at the social observation that hard work and superficial display coexist in urban life.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on stark chiaroscuro and simplified forms to emphasize movement and stillness. Daumier’s characteristic use of exaggerated gestures and minimal background focuses attention on the figures, a hallmark of his caricatural approach to printmaking.
History & Provenance
Created within Daumier’s prolific series of over three hundred lithographs that lampooned theatrical excess, this work belongs to his broader critique of 19th‑century popular stage culture. The series circulated widely, reinforcing the artist’s reputation as a keen observer of social types.
Context
The piece reflects the mid‑1800s French fascination with theater and the rise of caricature as a vehicle for social satire. Daumier, active during a period of rapid urbanization, often targeted actors and city dwellers, using the stage as a microcosm for broader societal attitudes toward work and leisure.
Own this work as a print
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.
