1843
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Si ma machine est bonne? je crois bien... is a 1843 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two men on a city street. One is well-dressed in a top hat and coat, leaning on a post. The other, in a cap and apron, points toward a steam train parked behind them. The train’s wheels and pipes are detailed, and a pillar with a lamp sits nearby. The artist focused on everyday life, capturing the contrast between the worker and the gentleman. Notice how the train’s smoke curls upward—it’s almost like a character in the scene. Want to know more? Look up lithography to see how this sketch was made.
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.
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