Art, literature & history
“- Just look at that! the train that's about to pass is lucky to have a narrow escape.... the whole affair would have blown up if I hadn't noticed in time... - What is it then, what is it? - Why, it's obvious, a needle has been placed right on the rail... luckily I saw it in just in time!,” plate 1 from Les Chemins De Fer
1843
- Dating
- Exact year
- Held at
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Medium
- Lithograph in black on white wove paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 20.7 × 26.5 cm (8 3/16 × 10 7/16 in.); Sheet: 26.7 × 35.5 cm (10 9/16 × 14 in.)
- Collection no.
- 1949.966
- Attribution
- By the artist
- Image rights
- CC0 1.0License details
Honoré Daumier. “- Just look at that! the train that's about to pass is lucky to have a narrow escape.... the whole affair would have blown up if I hadn't noticed in time... - What is it then, what is it? - Why, it's obvious, a needle has been placed right on the rail... luckily I saw it in just in time!,” plate 1 from Les Chemins De Fer. Art Institute of Chicago. CC0 1.0. Compressed full-frame reproduction.
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
About this artwork
“- Just look at that! the train that's about to pass is lucky to have a narrow escape.... the whole affair would have blown up if I hadn't noticed in time... - What is it then, what is it? - Why, it's obvious, a needle has been placed right on the rail... luckily I saw it in just in time!,” plate 1 from Les Chemins De Fer — Honoré Daumier. 1843.
Medium: Lithograph in black on white wove paper. Dimensions: Image: 20.7 × 26.5 cm (8 3/16 × 10 7/16 in.); Sheet: 26.7 × 35.5 cm (10 9/16 × 14 in.).
Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.
Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.
Location checked Sep 10, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.