Propriétaire - Paul Gavarni

A nineteenth-century French lithograph by Paul Gavarni, depicting a weary Parisian landlord from the Physionomies Parisiennes series.

This lithograph is a plate from the series Physionomies Parisiennes, a collection of social observations by the French artist Paul Gavarni. Known for his keen eye regarding the urban classes of nineteenth-century Paris, Gavarni captures the figure of a landlord, or propriétaire, with a mixture of sharp observation and dry humour. The subject stands in profile, his posture conveying a sense of weary authority or perhaps habitual suspicion. His coat is rendered with loose, expressive strokes that suggest the texture of heavy fabric, while his facial features are drawn with precision to convey a specific, somewhat sour temperament.

Below the image, the text reads: Les locataires! c'est les enfans! C'est les chiens et les chats et les réparations! This caption provides the context for the man's expression, framing him as a landlord exasperated by the demands of his tenants, their pets, and the constant need for building maintenance. Gavarni was a master of this genre, often using his work to comment on the social dynamics of the city. He moved away from the more aggressive political satire of his contemporaries, choosing instead to focus on the everyday habits and social types that populated the streets of Paris. The lithographic technique allows for a soft, pencil-like quality in the shading, which gives the figure a sense of volume and presence against the sparse background. This print offers a window into the social tensions of the period, presented through the lens of a character study rather than a grand historical narrative. It remains a fine example of the nineteenth-century French tradition of social caricature, where the artist acts as both observer and storyteller.