Man Dreaming
1825–80
Medium
Lithographic crayon
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 7/8 x 11 11/16 in. (20 x 29.7cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max J.H. Rossbach, 1964
Accession Number
64.125.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate drawing *Man Dreaming*, Honoré Daumier captures a solitary figure lost in slumber, his head resting on his hand amid the quiet vulnerability of repose. Created sometime between 1825 and 1880 using lithographic crayon on a modest sheet measuring just under 8 by 12 inches, this work exemplifies Daumier's mastery of quick, expressive sketches. A pivotal figure in 19th-century French art, Daumier was a prolific lithographer and caricaturist whose thousands of prints—published in satirical journals like *La Caricature*—skewered the bourgeoisie and celebrated the everyday struggles o...
About the Artist
Honoré Daumier · 1810–1879
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...