–Come on, you scoundrel, come on! –Just you wait, you crook! –Oh come on Alfred, after all you've known each other for some twenty years!, from 'Parisian sketches,' published in Le Petit Journal pour Rire, March 8, 1874

Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French artist and printmaker, renowned for his satirical lithographs and caricatures that provide a trenchant critique of nineteenth-century French society and politics. Born in Marseille, Daumier's vast oeuvre extends to paintings and sculptures, often highlighting social injustices and the everyday lives of Parisians. His powerful, expressive style, seen in works like Rue Transnonain and his caricatures of political figures, combined biting humor with deep empathy for the working class. Despite facing censorship and imprisonment during his lifetime, Daumier is today hailed as one of the most influential artists of his time.

Valmondois, France