The artwork titled “Rouher. I can never wash all this (dirty linen of the Empire)” was created by Honore Daumier in 1872. This piece is part of the Realism art movement and belongs to the genre of caricature. The artwork is currently housed in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.
In the depicted scene, a rotund figure bearing a scrub brush and a bucket is confronted with an enormous mound of laundry inscribed with the word “Empire”. The setting appears to be a dimly lit, cramped laundry space, with stairs leading into darkness, perhaps signifying overwhelming tasks and concealed corruption. The facial expression and body language of the figure convey a sense of exasperation and futility. The overall tone of the artwork is satirical, employing exaggerated features to critique the political atmosphere of the time.
