Who painted Are you not ordering anything?...?

Are you not ordering anything?... was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1865.

Where can I see Are you not ordering anything?...?

Are you not ordering anything?... is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Are you not ordering anything?...?

Are you not ordering anything?... is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Are you not ordering anything?...

Honoré Daumier , 1865

Are you not ordering anything?... is a print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1865 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This lithographic print, titled “Are you not ordering anything?

About this work

You see a man standing at a food counter, looking at the server.
The man seems unsure about what to order. This painting is interesting because it shows a everyday moment in France during the 19th century. The details in the scene are simple, yet they tell a story about the people in it.
You can learn more about the artist who created this scene by looking up Honoré Daumier.

Overview

This lithographic print, titled “Are you not ordering anything?”, appeared as plate 16 in the “Parisian Sketches” series published in the satirical newspaper Le Charivari on 2–3 November 1865. It captures a brief, ordinary scene from mid‑nineteenth‑century Paris, rendered in the characteristic observational style of its creator.

Subject & Meaning

The image depicts a solitary customer standing before a food counter, his gaze directed at the attendant while he appears hesitant about what to order. The composition highlights a moment of everyday indecision, offering a quiet commentary on the routines of urban life and the subtle social interactions that defined the public sphere of the era.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the work employs bold line work and a limited tonal range typical of Daumier’s printmaking. The simplified details focus attention on the figures’ gestures and expressions, while the stark contrast between foreground and background reinforces the immediacy of the scene without elaborate ornamentation.

History & Provenance

Originally circulated in Le Charivari, a widely read illustrated weekly, the print reached a broad audience as part of Daumier’s ongoing series documenting Parisian life. Subsequent reprints and collections have preserved the image, allowing it to serve as a visual record of the city’s mid‑century social atmosphere.

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.