Artwork
I Have Three Sous!
I Have Three Sous! is a print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1839 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The lithograph titled I Have Three Sous! was issued as plate 3 of the Parisian Emotions series in the August 11, 1839 issue of the satirical newspaper Le Charivari. It is a single‑sheet print that exemplifies the artist’s engagement with contemporary social commentary.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a sharply featured man in a top hat, his expression severe, clutching three small coins. The three sous are a visual reference to the French monetary system of the period and serve to ridicule affluent Parisians who ostentatiously displayed their prosperity.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the work relies on stark contrasts: a plain white field isolates the figure, emphasizing his angry visage and the gleam of the coins. The bold line work and limited palette are characteristic of the artist’s satirical prints.
History & Provenance
Created for Le Charivari, the print circulated widely among the paper’s readership, contributing to the broader critique of bourgeois excess in early‑19th‑century France. It later entered museum collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued among Daumier’s political series.
Context
The lithograph belongs to a period when Honoré Daumier produced numerous caricatures targeting social and political issues. Its focus on wealth display aligns with other works that lampoon the pretensions of the Parisian elite during the July Monarchy.
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.
