Artwork
Abonnés recevant leur journal...
Abonnés recevant leur journal... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1845 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1845, this lithograph by Honoré Daumée illustrates a bustling Parisian street where newspaper subscribers gather their copies.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1845, this lithograph by Honoré Daumée illustrates a bustling Parisian street where newspaper subscribers gather their copies. The composition captures a moment of disorder, with figures tangled in sheets, a rider draped over a horse, and a passerby clinging to a lamppost, all rendered in Daumée’s brisk, satirical line work.
Subject & Meaning
The print portrays the everyday ritual of receiving the daily paper, a scene Daumée often used to comment on the rapid flow of information and the chaotic energy of urban life. By emphasizing the tangled crowd and hurried gestures, the work subtly critiques the frenzy of modern consumption and the social dynamics of mid‑nineteenth‑century Paris.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on loose, gestural lines that convey motion and immediacy. Daumée’s characteristic satirical style emerges through exaggerated postures and a sketch‑like quality, allowing the print to function both as a quick visual report and a pointed social observation.
History & Provenance
Produced during Daumée’s most politically engaged period, the lithograph coincided with his contributions to republican‑leaning periodicals such as La Caricature and Le Charivari. The work reflects his ongoing campaign against the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy, using accessible imagery to reach a broad readership.
Context
Mid‑nineteenth‑century Paris experienced rapid urban growth and a surge in newspaper circulation. Daumée’s focus on the act of newspaper distribution situates the print within a broader cultural shift toward mass media, highlighting how daily news became a common thread linking diverse social strata.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
Le Chevalier des Adrets est l'amant...
Pardonnez-moi, o mon dieu! ...
La répétition
Une élè...zélée travaillant a domicile
Toujours la heunesse-flourens
La personne ... demande a monter tout de suite ...
Ma chére, je vous apporte une potiche ...
Il parait que les clubs vont être ... fermés ...
Rappelès avec enthousiasme! ...
Un Faux vase du Japon faisant...