It is Inconvenient to Rent an Apartment Close to the River, plate 13 from Locataires et Propriétaires
Medium
Lithograph in black on buff wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 27 × 22.4 cm (10 11/16 × 8 7/8 in.); Sheet: 36.1 × 27.4 cm (14 1/4 × 10 13/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
96192
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Honoré-Victorin Daumier’s 1847 lithograph “It is Inconvenient to Rent an Apartment Close to the River” captures the everyday struggles of urban tenants in mid-nineteenth-century Paris. Created as plate 13 in the series *Locataires et Propriétaires* (Tenants and Landlords), the print belongs to Daumier’s long-running commentary on social and economic tensions between renters and property owners during the July Monarchy. Lithography, the medium Daumier mastered, allowed artists to draw directly on stone and produce affordable impressions for wide circulation in journals such as *Le Charivari*. The crisp black lines on buff wove paper enabled the expressive caricature and witty detail that made his work instantly recognizable to Parisian audiences. The title hints at the practical hazards—flooding, dampness, and poor sanitation—faced by those forced to live near the Seine. Through gentle exaggeration, Daumier invites viewers to consider how location and class shaped daily life, turning a simple domestic inconvenience into a pointed reflection on urban inequality.
About the Artist
Honoré-Victorin Daumier · 1808–1879
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (1808-1879) was a prolific French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor whose works offered incisive commentary on the social and political life of 19th-century France. Known as the 'Michelangelo of Caricature,' Daumier produced over 4,000 lithographs, 500 paintings, 1,000 drawings, and 100 sculptures during his lifetime. His biting political satire led to his imp...