Honoré Daumier

Degas ranked Daumier as one of the three great draftsmen of the 19th century. Daumier’s depictions of modern subjects were an important influence on Degas’s own choice of scenes of urban entertainment, such as art exhibitions. More than most artists of the period, Degas shared and appreciated Daumier’s deep interest in physiognomic expression.

Degas owned about 750 lithographs by Daumier, but only 5 drawings, including this sheet, which was first shown at the retrospective exhibition of Daumier’s works in 1878. Perhaps Degas saw something of himself among the group of collectors depicted here.