Cost of Living in Daumier’s Time
Some not too serious observations about the costs of everyday life in 19th century Paris.
Compiled by L. & D. Noack since 1999. Last updated: May 25, 2020
Literature often mentions that Daumier was a relatively poor man, who followed Corot’s advice that an artists should always have debts in order to really be appreciated by his surrounding. (According to K.E. Maison, p.39, it was Balzac who gave Daumier this advice.) This opinion has been well documented by Cherpin in his publication “Le dernier cahier de comptes de Daumier.” Revue Municipal nr. 29 pp 34-38 and 40-41, Marseille Mai-Juillet 1956. This booklet shows Daumier’s handwritten expenses and shows also how much he received from Le Charivari for each print (see also B. Laughton “Honoré Daumier”. Yale University Press, New Haven 1996).
Surprisingly, the amount of money Daumier received each month over a long period of his life when working for Le Charivari should have allowed him quite a comfortable life. You will find a list of some daily goods sold in Paris during that time. These prices have been either taken from Cherpin’s observation, or from the captions of Daumier’s own lithographs or, at a later stage directly from the advertisements published in Le Charivari.
Taking into account that Daumier, apart from his lithographs, also sold wood engravings as well as drawings and paintings during the later part of his life, it seems difficult to identify what Daumier did with his income. Maybe one day, a research paper will enlighten us all about the spending habits of Daumier. We might be able to find out why he ended up in financial difficulties and poverty despite of his fairly sufficient funds.
Thierry Lefrançois published in 1982 (Flammarion) his research based on Cherpin’s account books. On page 5 he calculated that since 1830 Daumier received 40 francs for each of the 4’000 lithographs and 20 francs for each of the 1’000 wood engravings. Looking at the period between 1835 and 1845 his monthly income amounted to 300-600 francs which was almost 5 to 10 times the average income of a worker. For his drawings he received until 1872 between 100 and 500 francs, and for his oil paintings between 1000 and 1500 francs. Lefrançois suggests that the reason for the notorious shortage of funds in the Daumier household may have been due to the fact that he generously supported his parents as well as the extensive family of his wife during all of his active life.
YEAR | PRICE IN FRANCS | PRODUCT |
---|---|---|
1835 | 0.50 | price for 1 pound of tobacco |
1835 | 50.00 | monthly subscription for La Caricature |
1835 | 0.30 | unlimited bus ride in town |
1836 | 72.00 | annual subscription for Le Charivari |
1837 | 55.00 | price for the Album Caricaturana, containing 80 plates in colour |
1837 | 1.50 | prix fixe dinner (two main courses, dessert and a pitcher of wine) |
1838 | 30.00 | monthly salary for an unskilled worker |
1839 | 32.00 | price for the Album Les Moeurs Conjugales, containing 60 lithographs |
1839 | 800.00 | Complete collection of Le Charivari from 1/1/1832 to 12/31/1838: 12 volumes |
1839 | 0.75 | Portraits of politicians, which appeared in Le Charivari (price per print) |
1840 | 40.00 | payment which Daumier received for each lithograph supplied to Aubert |
1840 | 5.00 | payment which Huart, Jaime, Biais etc. received for each text supplied to Aubert |
1841 | 9.00 | price for the Album Physionomies Tragico-Classiques, containg 15 lithographs |
1841 | 7.50 | rent for a costume ball outfit |
1842 | 0.05 | price of 0.25 litres of milk |
1842 | 2.00 | price of one "vol au vent" |
1842 | 0.20 | ticket to the public baths on the Seine |
1842 | 3.00 | price for a (natural) sponge |
1842 | 2.00 | Train ticket 1st class Paris-Orléans |
1842 | 1.50 | Train ticket 2nd class Paris-Orléans |
1842 | 1.00 | Train ticket 3rd class Paris-Orléans (without roof!) |
1842 | 0.20 | admission to the "better", private bathing houses |
1842 | 0.10 | admission to the public bathing houses |
1842 | 60'000 | Madame Dorus-Gras, who was probably the best singer and actress during this period, earned this amount per year. |
1842 | 75'000 | Madame Slotz, an equally famous actress, received this amount per year for her performance in “Rosine”. |
1843 | 12.50 | price for the Album Les Canotiers de Paris |
1843 | 7.50 | price for the Album Les Chemins der Fer |
1844 | 100'000 | paid to Eugene Sue for 10 series of "Le Juif Errant" |
1844 | 0.25 | price for one cigar of the type Caillou |
1845 | 0.30 | insurance fee covering train accidents within 400 km distance |
1845 | 5.00 | address list of all 20'000 doctors and pharmacists (La France Médicale) |
1846 | 60.00 | annual subscription for Le Charivari, advertisement and number of subscribers reduced the costs |
1848 | 0.05 | toll for crossing the "pont des Arts" bridge |
1848 | 45.00 | monthly income of an unskilled worker |
1848 | 35.00 | Train ticket 1st class Paris-London |
1848 | 25.00 | Train ticket 2nd class Paris-London |
1849 | 25.00 | daily allowance paid to the members of Parliament |
1850 | 2.50 | an inexpensive "prix fixe menu" |
1850 | 25.00 | a full menu at a luxury restaurant |
1850 | 50.00 | monthly fees for private school |
1850 | 200.00 | courses for the preparation to the highschool exam (without any guarantee!) |
1851 | 50.00 | price of a winter coat (paletot) |
1851 | 19.00 | price of a pair of satin trousers (white!) |
1851 | 400'000.00 | value of a gold bar (lingot) |
1852 | 5.00 | special summer discount train ticket from Paris to the sea |
1852 | 1.50 | one pound of chocolate |
1852 | 2.90 | special sale of Venetian shirts |
1852 | 12.50 | special sale of 12 napkins (regular price: 18.00) |
1852 | 1.00 | admission to the Salon in Paris (art exhibit) |
1853 | 0.15 | bus ride on the "Imperial" in Paris |
1854 | 0.30 | bus trip in Paris |
1854 | 0.20 | 100 letter envelopes |
1854 | 1.00 | 1 bottle of anti flu medicine |
1854 | 450.00 | price for a good piano |
1854 | 1'000.00 | premium offered by "Eau Parisienne", if your freckles don't disappear |
1854 | 6.00 | price for the Album "Chargeons Les Russes" |
1854 | 3.00 | Skin lotion for blondes and brunettes |
1855 | 0.20 | admission ticket to the world-exhibit |
1855 | 60.00 | a new hand-tailored ladies dress |
1855 | 13.40 | monthly subscription for the London Times |
1855 | 21.40 | 3 months subscription for the Bruxelles Independance |
1855 | 6.50 | 3 months subscription for the Köln Gazette |
1855 | 0.75 | Advertisement per line in Le Charivari |
1855 | 3.50 | Pen Rossini (with portrait of the famous musician) |
1856 | 150.00 | one barrel = 114-136 liters (une feuillette) of good Bordeaux wine |
1856 | 250.00 | a one week trip Paris-London, all included |
1856 | 8.50 | men's jacket on sale (regular price: 29 Fr) |
1856 | 12.00 | Glass and monocles made of Brazilian crystal |
1856 | 5'475.00 | subscription for a box of 6 people for 6 months at the Théatre Italien in Paris |
1856 | 507.00 | subscription for 2 seats in the 4th tier at the Théatre Italien |
1857 | 5.00 | 100 pills against obesity |
1857 | 1.00 | admission for one day to speculate at the stock exchange. Annual subscription 175 Fr. |
1858 | 106.00 (=20 US Dollar) | Price for a bond and stock offer for US railroad from New York to Galveston to Mexico. |
1859 | 3.00 | a bottle of hair tonic (success not guaranteed) |
1860 | 16.00 | annual subscription to the bi-weekly "Horticulturist" |
1861 | 1.00 | admission to the Zoo-Botanical Gardens |
1861 | 0.50 | one bottle of inferior wine |
1861 | 8'000.00 | annual rent of a house close to the Champs-Elysées |
1862 | 10.00 | medical treatment of "secret diseases" (success guaranteed!) |
1864 | 1.00 | a small glass of "eau de vie" (hard liquor) |
1864 | 12.00 | Train return ticket 2nd class Paris-Le Havre |
1864 | 68.20 | Train ticket in 1st class for a journey of 15 hours from Paris to Berne, Switzerland (51 francs in 2nd class, 38 francs in 3rd class) |
1865 | 3.00 | small advertisements in Le Charivari |
1865 | 45.00 | stay in a private hospital for 8 days |
1865 | 1.50 | light lunch on Montmartre |
1865 | 250.00 | Daumier's rent per year for the house in Valmondois |
1865 | 5'000.00 | Buying price for Daumier's house in Valmondois (option mentioned in the leasing contract). |
1866 | 0.15 | short bus trip in Paris |
1867 | 24.00 | 12 silver plated coffee spoons |
1868 | 46.00 | 12 silver plated knives |
1868 | 1.50 | one bottle of eau de toilette (also used by the Emperor) |
1870 | 15'000.00 | annual allowance for a senator |
1871 | 30'000.00 | annual allowance for the same senator a year later |
1879 | 0.50 | an edition of the Almanachs du Charivari |