Artwork
Vous êtes un jeune homme bien né!...
Vous êtes un jeune homme bien né!... is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Honoré Daumier. It dates from 1840 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Honoré Daumier’s lithograph titled Vous êtes un jeune homme bien né! presents a pair of figures shown from the waist upward. Rendered in a single tonal range, the image relies on stark contrast and a plain backdrop to draw attention to the subjects’ faces, where exaggerated features convey distinct emotional states.
Subject & Meaning
The two characters are rendered with heightened facial expressions that suggest individual temperaments and social roles. By amplifying gestures and features, Daumier offers a satirical glimpse into contemporary manners, using the figures as a vehicle for commentary on class and behavior in mid‑19th‑century France.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the work employs the medium’s capacity for bold line work and tonal variation. Daumier’s simplified composition, minimal background, strong contours, and monochrome shading, reflects his characteristic approach to caricature, allowing the expressive faces to dominate the visual field.
History & Provenance
Created during Daumier’s prolific period of social satire, the print circulated among the artist’s contemporaries as part of his broader output of newspaper and pamphlet illustrations. Its provenance follows the typical trajectory of 19th‑century French prints, passing through private collections before entering museum holdings.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French: ; 26 February 1808 – 10 or 11 February 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the…
Désagrément de causer avec les gens...
Un échantillon de ce qu'on appèll...les beaux de paris
M. Frémouillot je vous y prends, vous connaissez...
(Robert) Hé bien! mon cher directeur...
Réglement de comptes
Que Diable Monsieur Ne Bougez donc pas...
Une querelle d'allemand
Une Heureuse nouvelle- Vous raisonnez comme une canne!