Ce logement est un peu cher, pour la place Royale...

Executed in lithography, the image relies on swift, sketch‑like lines that convey immediacy and vitality. Daumier’s handling of the medium allows for a loose, almost spontaneous rendering of figures and architectural details, a hallmark of his satirical prints that sought to capture everyday life with a touch of humor.

Created during Daumier’s prolific period of political caricature, the lithograph was likely circulated through the satirical journals La Caricature and Le Charivari, which disseminated his critiques of the monarchy and social hierarchy. The work reflects the artist’s republican sympathies that were evident from the 1830 Revolution through the Second Empire.

In the 1840s Paris, rapid urban growth and rising rents intensified class tensions. Daumier’s print responds to these conditions, using a mundane scene to illustrate broader concerns about housing affordability and the widening gap between the privileged and the working populace.