Artwork
Ah! il m'a donné congé...
Ah! il m'a donné congé... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1847 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1847, this lithograph on newsprint presents a cramped interior where two men are engaged in a tense exchange.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1847, this lithograph on newsprint presents a cramped interior where two men are engaged in a tense exchange. One figure, clad in a dark jacket, pulls a sheet of paper from the wall, while the other, in a white shirt, supports a bulky piece of furniture. The composition is rendered in stark gray tones, with vigorous lines that convey movement and emotional intensity.
Subject & Meaning
The work captures a moment of confrontation, suggesting a dispute over a document, perhaps a dismissal or notice, hinted at by the title’s reference to a ‘congé.’ Daumier’s choice of ordinary, working‑class characters reflects his habit of using everyday scenes to critique broader social and political tensions in mid‑century France.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on bold, expressive shading and a limited grayscale palette typical of Daumier’s printmaking. The use of newsprint as a substrate underscores the immediacy of the commentary, while the dynamic line work aligns the piece with Romantic sensibilities that prioritize emotion and individual experience.
History & Provenance
Produced during Daumier’s prolific period as a cartoonist for satirical journals such as La Caricature and Le Charivari, the print circulated among the readership of those publications. Its survival on newsprint indicates it was intended for wide, disposable distribution rather than elite collection.
Context
The lithograph emerges from a France marked by frequent regime changes and social unrest. Daumier, a self‑identified republican, routinely targeted the monarchy, aristocracy, and clergy, employing humor and caricature to align himself with working‑class liberalism and to comment on the instability of the era.
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…
La rèforme électorale en angleterre
Un Créancier trop pressé
Voyons ... admirez au moins ce Courbet! ...
Ah! Excusez
Toujours l'influence du congres de la paix ...
Un quiproquo - Vous vous trompez... allez... au diable...
Est-il dieu permis... fendre du bois...
Robert Macaire commis-voyageur
Encore mes créanciers, toujours ...
C'est-y embêtant de brosser ces machines là...
Fallait pas me tutoyer, j'suis dans...- Il me semble que j'aperçois... un... chien... pas muselé!...