"Oh! It is as if we were there: the tall one opens her corset and the little one is looking for a flea!," plate 27 from Types Parisiens

About this artwork

Honoré Daumier’s comic voyeurs go to great lengths to spy on their female neighbors, even resorting to a telescope. While the viewer sees the observers rather than the unaware, disrobing women, the excited narration fills in details about the vermin-ridden objects of their desires. Women’s undergarments would become increasingly showy by the 1870s, with bold colors adopted by courtesans and prostitutes. As Eugène Chapus noted in his 1862 work Manuel de l’homme et de la femme comme il faut (Manua...

Art Historical Context

Honoré Daumier, a master of 19th-century French caricature, captures the cheeky underbelly of Parisian life in this 1840 lithograph plate 27 from the series *Types Parisiens Titled *"Oh! It is as if we were there: the one opens her corset the little one is looking a flea!"*, it depicts voyeuristic onlookers gossiping about two women in a candid, intimate moment—one loosening her corset, the hunting a flea. Printed in bold black ink on white wove paper (image 19 × 24.2 cm), the work exemplifies Daumier's prolific output during the July Monarchy, a time of social satire amid political censorship. Daumier's lithography technique, using greasy crayon on stone for rich tonal contrasts and expressive lines, allowed affordable mass production, reaching thousands of Parisians through newspapers and albums. As part of *Types Parisiens*, which humorously cataloged urban archetypes, this piece highlights his genius for observing everyday humanity—blending comedy with subtle critique of bourgeois voyeurism and the era's rigid social norms. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department, this lithograph remains a vibrant window into 1840s Paris, where Daumier's unflinching eye turned the mundane into memorable art, influencing modern cartooning and social commentary.

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...