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Source Description
The first six-string guitars appeared simultaneously in Naples and Paris in the 1770s, and by the end of the 19th century the so-called Romantic guitar played a central role in the popular music of the French capital. Daumier’s drawing reflects this interest in street singers and carnival performers. The agitated, almost frenetic tangle of fine lines drawn in pen and ink imbues the figure with life, so that his voice and instrument seem to vibrate with emotion.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
156129
label
Singing Guitarist (recto)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
156129
contentType
drawing
title
Singing Guitarist (recto)
description
The first six-string guitars appeared simultaneously in Naples and Paris in the 1770s, and by the end of the 19th century the so-called Romantic guitar played a central role in the popular music of the French capital. Daumier’s drawing reflects this interest in street singers and carnival performers. The agitated, almost frenetic tangle of fine lines drawn in pen and ink imbues the figure with life, so that his voice and instrument seem to vibrate with emotion.
date
1855–60
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79945144
creators
1638
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 33.9 x 21.5 cm (13 3/8 x 8 7/16 in.)
cul
France, 19th century
accession
1991.59.a
Source extras
tec
pen and black ink over charcoal
tombstone
Singing Guitarist (recto), 1855–60. Honoré Daumier (French, 1808–1879). Pen and black ink over charcoal; sheet: 33.9 x 21.5 cm (13 3/8 x 8 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 1991.59.a
supportMaterials
description
cream(3) wove paper, discolored to yellow-cream except for the margin
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
signed, lower left, in black charcoal?: hD
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. "Selected 1991 Acquisitions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 79, no. 2 (1992): 63-83.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 72; Mentioned: p. 80
creditline
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:07:05.456000
sourceId
156129
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
pen and black ink over charcoal
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
af64fbfd66731df7