Who painted Place de la Bastille?

Place de la Bastille was painted by Honoré Daumier in 1850.

Where can I see Place de la Bastille?

Place de la Bastille is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Place de la Bastille?

Place de la Bastille is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Place de la Bastille

Honoré Daumier , 1850

Place de la Bastille is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Honoré Daumier’s lithograph titled *Place de la Bastille* depicts a lively street scene in mid‑19th‑century Paris. Central figures—a man in a top hat and a barefoot woman—are shown vending pretzels amid a crowded public square. The composition conveys the hustle of everyday urban commerce, rendering the figures and surrounding passersby with brisk, energetic lines.

Subject & Meaning

The work foregrounds ordinary laborers, emphasizing the coexistence of different social strata in a shared public space. By pairing a formally dressed vendor with a casually attired woman, Daumier highlights the juxtaposition of respectability and street‑level survival, inviting viewers to consider the rhythms of daily life and the subtle social commentary embedded in such encounters.

Technique & Style

Executed in lithography, the image was produced by drawing with greasy medium on a stone surface, then transferring the inked design onto paper. This method allowed Daumier to capture spontaneous gestures and the grainy texture of the scene, resulting in a less refined finish than contemporary oil paintings but one that conveys immediacy and atmospheric grit.

History & Provenance

Created during Daumier’s prolific period of social observation, the print entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is currently displayed. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s interest in 19th‑century French prints that document urban life and popular culture.

Context

*Place de la Bastille* was produced at a time when Paris was undergoing rapid modernization, and public squares like the Bastille became focal points for commerce and social interaction. Daumian artists frequently used such settings to record the shifting dynamics of the city, aligning the work with broader realist tendencies in French art.

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.