Who painted Vois le cours de la bourse?

Vois le cours de la bourse was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1865.

Where can I see Vois le cours de la bourse?

Vois le cours de la bourse is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Vois le cours de la bourse?

Vois le cours de la bourse is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Vois le cours de la bourse

Honoré Daumier , 1865

Vois le cours de la bourse is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s lithograph Vois le cours de la bourse presents a brief, focused scene of two men in conversation. Executed in the mid‑19th‑century French print tradition, the image captures a moment of exchange, with one figure clutching a sheet of paper and the other balancing a tray of glasses, suggesting a setting linked to financial dealings.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a man holding a document with his counterpart bearing a tray of glasses, a visual shorthand for the bustling atmosphere of a stock exchange. The interaction hints at negotiation, speculation, or the transmission of market information, reflecting the broader social dynamics of commerce and the anxieties that accompanied France’s expanding financial markets.

Technique & Style

Created as a lithograph, Daumier employed the medium’s capacity for fine line work and tonal variation to render the figures with immediacy. The stark contrasts and economical brushstrokes convey both the physical presence of the subjects and the intangible tension of a trading floor, characteristic of Daumier’s observational approach to everyday scenes.

History & Provenance

Produced during Daumier’s prolific period of social commentary, the print circulated among the burgeoning market for affordable art in Paris. While specific ownership records are sparse, the work has been documented in several 19th‑century print collections and continues to appear in exhibitions that explore the artist’s engagement with contemporary urban life.

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.