Honoré-Victorin Daumier (French, 1808-1879) Laundress on the Quai d'Anjou, ca. 1860 Oil on wood panel, 11 1/4 x 7 3/4" George B. and Jenny R. Matthews Fund, 1964

This artist, whose last name is pronounced "dough-me-ay" lived in the city of Paris, the capital of France. A river called the Seine (senn) flows through the middle of Paris, and in it are many islands. Mr. Daumier lived on one of the islands and had to cross a bridge to get to the rest of the city.

This painting shows something he saw everyday in his neighborhood on the island. Before there were washing machines or laundromats, clothing had to be cleaned in other ways. Boats were tied to the docks (in French, the word is quai,which is pronounced like the letter k), and laundresses carried the laundry to the boats and used the river water for washing and rinsing. Wealthy people would hire others to do their washing.

Children were expected to work if they were from poor families. This little boy or girl has been down helping his or her mother, probably all day. The child carries a laundry paddle up the stairs while the mother carries the bundle of clothing. It is heavy, since the clothes are wet. Is their work finished now, or are there certain other tasks that still need to be done?

We can't see their faces and we don't know their names. They are in the shadow, while the rich people's houses behind them shine in the light across the river. Mr. Daumier respected these hardworking people, and felt that in spite of their difficult lives, they would survive.