Le coton tombe, l'homme reste...
1840
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1840
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Le coton tombe, l'homme reste... is a 1840 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a man in a loose robe standing in shallow water, holding up his pants. Behind him, a giant pair of pants lies on the ground like a deflated balloon. The room looks like a closet, with a door and a small window letting in dim light. The caption below jokes that the fabric falls apart, but the man stays put. The drawing plays with how clothes can fail us while we keep going. Want to see more? Look up Daumier, Honoré for his sharp social cartoons.
