Who painted Locataires noctambules?

Locataires noctambules was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1847.

Where can I see Locataires noctambules?

Locataires noctambules is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Locataires noctambules?

Locataires noctambules is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Locataires noctambules

Honoré Daumier , 1847

Locataires noctambules 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.

About this work

The building’s lower floors glow with lanterns while neighbors peek out, hinting at a rush to avoid rent day.

Daumier’s 1847 lithograph shows a man lowering a chair out a window at night. The building’s lower floors glow with lanterns while neighbors peek out, hinting at a rush to avoid rent day. Cross-hatching gives the scene a frantic, almost cartoonish speed.

Rumor says Daumier drew this after seeing real tenants dodge landlords in Paris slums. The image feels alive—every angle juts, every shadow runs.

Watch how he uses a single lithograph stone to build texture.

Overview

Locataires noctambules is a 1847 lithograph by Honoré Daumier, capturing a nocturnal scene of tenants hastily relocating their belongings through a window.

Subject & Meaning

The print satirically portrays the tense relationship between tenants and landlords, hinting at the urgency to avoid rent day in a Parisian urban setting.

Technique & Style

Daumier employs simple lines and cross-hatching to convey the frenetic energy of the scene, creating a sense of frantic movement and texture through the use of a single lithograph stone.

Context

The lithograph is thought to be inspired by the practice of tenants dodging landlords in Parisian slums, reflecting the social realities of the time.

Artist & collection

Artist

Honoré Daumier

Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.