Honoré Daumier (French, 1808–1879) was a caricaturist, painter, and sculptor, particularly well known for his satirical cartoons. Born in Marseille, Daumier learned lithography, and began his career as a graphic artist, producing plates and illustrations for advertisements.

Daumier used his lithographic skills in several satirical publications of the era. Though he served a brief term in prison in 1832 for his anti-monarchical satire of Louis Philippe, he was undeterred, and went on to produce over 4,000 lithographs of political and social commentary. He also produced satirical watercolors, parodying the Courts of Justice and depicting the poor. His two most well-known characters created during this time were Robert Macaire, a corrupt and money-obsessed bourgeois figure, and Ratapoil, an evil government agent.

In addition to being a lithographer and watercolorist, Daumier was also a talented painter and sculptor, working in a spontaneous style to produce caricature heads and figures. He is also considered to be one of the earliest Impressionists, exploring the effects of light on form in his works.

In 1873, Daumier went completely blind, and was unable to continue producing works. In 1878, a year before his death, a friend collected a number of his pieces to be shown at Galerie Durand-Ruel. However, these works did not receive much notice until after his death. Today, his works are contained in a number of prestigious collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.