Who painted When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon?

When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1845.

Where can I see When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon?

When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon?

When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon

Honoré Daumier , 1845

When One's Portrait is Exhibited at the Salon is a print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

This painting is interesting because it shows how people reacted to art in the 19th century, like how they dressed up to visit galleries.

You see a man looking at his portrait in a gallery.
He's standing in front of a wall with his picture on it.
This painting is interesting because it shows how people reacted to art in the 19th century, like how they dressed up to visit galleries.

The man in the painting is well-dressed and seems proud of his portrait.
This gives us a glimpse into the social life of that time.

Check out the work of artist Honoré Daumier.

Overview

Published on 26 April 1845 in the satirical newspaper Le Charivari, this lithographic print appears as plate 59 in the series titled The Best Days in Life. The image, attributed to Honoré Daumier, captures a moment in a public exhibition space where a gentleman observes his own portrait displayed on the wall.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a well‑dressed man, positioned before his likeness hung in a gallery. His attentive posture and apparent satisfaction suggest a sense of personal pride, offering a glimpse into the manners and self‑presentation of the emerging bourgeois class when confronting visual culture.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the work employs bold line work and contrast typical of Daumier’s press illustrations. The composition balances the figure’s detailed attire with the simplified backdrop of the exhibition wall, emphasizing the interaction between viewer and image.

Context

Mid‑nineteenth‑century France saw a rise in public art exhibitions and a growing market for portraiture. This print reflects contemporary attitudes toward art consumption, where attending a salon became a social event and personal portraiture a marker of status.

Legacy

As part of Daumier’s broader commentary on everyday life, the image contributes to the visual record of how art institutions were perceived by the public. It remains a valuable illustration of the interplay between individual identity and the burgeoning culture of public galleries.

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.