Quand il y a trente degrés de chaleur...

Daumier employed lithography on inexpensive newsprint to produce images quickly for mass circulation. His line work is loose yet precise, using ink washes and rapid strokes to suggest texture and movement. Details like the curled cat, the peering face beneath a blanket, and the uneven walls are rendered with economy, enhancing the sense of chaotic intimacy. The medium’s immediacy suited his goal: to capture fleeting moments of social truth.

The print was likely published in Le Charivari, the satirical journal where Daumier regularly contributed. As political censorship intensified in the 1840s, his work increasingly focused on social conditions rather than direct political figures. This piece survived as part of a larger archive of his prints, preserved by collectors and institutions interested in 19th-century French visual culture. Its fragile paper underscores its original function as ephemeral commentary.

In mid-19th century Paris, urban overcrowding and inadequate housing were widespread, especially among laborers. Summer heat exacerbated living conditions, yet public discourse often ignored these realities. Daumier’s image aligns with broader reformist sentiment, reflecting the growing tension between the bourgeoisie and the working class.

His work offered a visual counterpoint to official narratives, grounding political critique in the intimate spaces of daily life.

Daumier’s prints, including this one, influenced later generations of social realists and cartoonists who sought to depict ordinary life with honesty. His use of lithography as a tool for social observation helped elevate printmaking beyond mere illustration. Today, the work remains a quiet but potent record of urban hardship, valued for its unembellished humanity rather than its artistic novelty.