Honoré DaumierFrench, 1808–1879The Print Collectors
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Print Collectors” now? Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Not on view at present. Checked September 25, 2026.
London, United Kingdom
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
The great French graphic artist and caricaturist Honoré Daumier often returned to the subject of collectors and connoisseurs, looking over artist's shoulders or pouring over portfolios of choice prints, as in this picture. It has been said that Daumier chose such subjects because they sold well, appealing to collectors who saw their interests reflected. But their saleability alone does not account for Daumier's fascination with the subject, to which he returned so often. In the words of Henry James' memorable essay on Daumier, in them we see reflected 'the old Parisian quay, the belittered print-shop, the pleasant afternoon, the glimpse of the great Louvre and the other side of the Siene, ... estampes suspended in the window and doorway .. extracted, piece by piece from musty portfolios'.
Read on
In such works Daumier captured the essence of the whole disease of collecting, and it is appropriate that the present example should have been owned by the great collector Constantine Alexander Ionides, who gave it to the Victoria and Albert Museum with other fine examples of Daumier's work, including a notable 'Railway Waiting Room'.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- CAI.118
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
In the life of Honoré Daumier
The whole life1858
Serious Illness
In 1858 Daumier suffered a serious illness.
1860
Le Charivari Dropped His Caricatures
After thirty years of continuous work, the popularity of Daumier's caricatures declined, and in 1860 Le Charivari dismissed him from its staff. Years of hardship followed, but also of free time for painting — a period of great productivity and artistic growth.
1863
Departure from the Île Saint-Louis to Montmartre
By 1863 Daumier was selling off his furniture to raise funds; he left the Île Saint-Louis and in 1863–1865 moved through a succession of lodgings in Montmartre, losing touch with many of his friends.
1864
New Contract with Le Charivari
In 1864 Le Charivari offered Daumier a new contract; he returned to caricature to earn a living and found an appreciative public, producing 100 lithographs in a year for an income of 400 francs a month.
1865
Settling in Valmondois
After spending the summer of 1865 in Valmondois with Théodore Rousseau, whose health was failing, Daumier soon left Montmartre for good and rented a small cottage in Valmondois, where he lived for the rest of his life.
c. 1865 – 1866
Onset of Failing Eyesight
Around 1865–1866 Daumier's eyesight began to fail; the condition progressed, though he continued to make drawings and poster sketches as late as 1872 and painted almost until his death.
