Prochain point : lat="49.097505" lon="2.191457"
Villa Daumier
A pioneer of cartoons
From Marseille to Paris...
Honoré Daumier was born in Marseille in 1808, as the son of a glazier and occasional poet. He moved to Paris with his family in 1814 and became a clerk in a bailiff’s office, which he quickly left to attend drawing classes and learn the trade of lithography, which was closer to his interests. As a Republican, Daumier enjoyed working with Ratapoil on caricatures of the agents of the Empire or the monarchists of his time. He developed his career as an illustrator at Charivari and le Monde Illustré. He had an amazing visual memory, which meant he could sketch scenes after the event. Staunchly Parisian, the capital was an inexhaustible source of inspiration to him. The Second Empire was disastrous not only as a republican, but also as a humourist, because of censorship.
... Via Valmondois
His friend Geoffroy-Dechaume had a house in Valmondois, where Daumier happily spent the summer. In 1878, he moved to Origivaux with his wife. But Daumier’s eyesight was failing and work and and revenue followed suit. His friend Corot bought him a small house, on la Grande rue, where he died in 1879.
A bust of Daumier by Geoffroy-Dechaume stands on the Town Hall Square, with a copy at the entrance to Villa Daumier, now devoted to contemporary art.
