Visualizing Voyeurism: Authored by Emily Mendelson and Eta Pastreich, Binghamton UniversityMain Menu"Visualizing Voyeurism"What is Voyeurism?Opening ViewParisian TypesNudes AlbumMyths and Biblical Themes ViewMyths and Biblical ThemesIntimacy Corner ViewThe Rise and Fall of the 3rd StreamEmbraceThe Captivating Desire: AIDS #4Rooftop SunbatherFeminist Photography ViewUntitled Film StillsGallery Wall of SketchesThe Desublimation of RomanceDanae and the Golden Shower; VitrineGallery Wall ViewPainter Sketching and Nude Model in a HatMeet the AuthorsBinghamton University Art Museum Fair Use StatementHilary Becker8acde8ddd866de3e1500ef02591b1ae693bb7788Written by Emily Mendelson and Eta Pastreich, Binghamton University
Daumier Lithograph
1media/1957.39_thumb.jpg2020-04-27T13:59:21-07:00Emily Mendelsondf4e2cd2c9dea5ae8f1ce363794d93386798b8e8373371Honoré Daumier, (French, 1808 – 1879), “Oh! . . . just as if you were there: the fat one is taking off her corset, and the little one is searching for fleas,” from the series “Parisian Types,” 1840, Lithograph, 9 ¼ x 10 ½ inches, Museum purchase Ferdinand Roten Galleries. Source: Binghamton University Art Museumplain2020-04-27T13:59:22-07:00Emily Mendelsondf4e2cd2c9dea5ae8f1ce363794d93386798b8e8
Daumier’s satirical lithograph addresses the intimacy of urban space and how city-dwellers become voyeurs of everyday life. It provides commentary on voyeurism by illustrating two men peering into a woman's window. This was drawn during an age when Paris’s upper classes respected flâneurs, who were wealthy people who spent time aimlessly strolling the city and acting as a voyeur to those around them. During this time, Paris was moving towards modernization, leading to a fast paced and crowded city. Charles Baudelaire, a writer and poet contemporary to Daumier, discussed the shock of the urban crowd experience as Paris became more congested. He spends time discussing the term flâneur and its interaction with the modern city. Daumier’s depiction allows its viewers to become voyeurs of the voyeur culture to better understand its emergence.
