Achat d'un tableau horloge c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, Achat d'un tableau horloge, which translates to "Buying a clock painting", in 19th-century France, a time of great social upheaval. It’s part of a series called "Les Bons Bourgeois," and it satirizes the values and tastes of the middle class. Here, Daumier uses visual codes to mock the aspirations of the bourgeoisie. The man, with his awkward stance and ill-fitting clothes, seems out of place admiring a painting of a church clock tower. France was experiencing rapid industrialization and urbanization, leading to new social classes and changing cultural norms. Daumier’s art reflects these tensions, critiquing the bourgeoisie's attempts to emulate the aristocracy through art collecting. The "clock painting" itself is a comment on the commodification of time and culture. To fully understand Daumier's work, we can research the socio-political context of 19th-century France, studying newspapers, journals, and other primary sources. Art history helps us see how art is always embedded in its own time and place.