Honoré Daumier

Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose searing political and social satires offered an unflinching commentary on 19th-century French society. Producing over 4,000 lithographs for satirical journals like La Caricature and Le Charivari, Daumier fearlessly mocked corrupt judges, bloated politicians, and King Louis-Philippe.

Beyond his political satire, Daumier was an extraordinary painter whose expressive, sculptural brushwork portrayed the dignity and exhaustion of the working poor in masterpieces like The Third-Class Carriage (c. 1862–1864). Deeply admired by Baudelaire, Degas, and Cézanne, Daumier stands as the father of modern social caricature.