Désolé, citoyenne... je ne reçois pas de chiens...

Executed as a lithograph, the work relies on bold, fluid strokes and high contrast to define figures and architecture. Daumier’s characteristic exaggeration of facial expressions and gestures is evident, while the simplified background focuses attention on the interpersonal tension, reflecting his skill in translating caricature into a more narrative print form.

Created in the revolutionary year of 1848, the image aligns with Daumier’s republican sympathies and his long‑standing engagement with oppositional press such as La Caricature and Le Charivari. The period’s political upheaval and debates over citizenship are echoed in the title’s address to a “citoyenne,” underscoring the artist’s critique of contemporary social hierarchies.

The lithograph was produced as part of Daumier’s prolific output for satirical newspapers, which were widely circulated among the urban middle class. Original impressions remain in several European museum collections, having passed through private hands before being acquired by institutions that document 19th‑century French print culture.