Rue Transnonain was created in response to the massacre of 19 people - including women and children - by the French National Guard in response to the strike of silk weavers in Lyon, on April 14, 1834.

Daumier created this large scale lithograph for inclusion in the L'Association Mensuelle, a subscriber publication intended to collect funds to further freedom of the press, and pay for lawsuits brought against Charivari. Association lithographs were larger scale than the usual Charivari publications, and their distribution was to a very small group - the subscribers of this special publication. When the printseller Aubert showed the lithograph in his shop window the authorities were so incensed that all impressions were ordered found and confiscated (as well as the lithographic stone). Outstanding impressions were hidden (and due to their large size, usually after extensive folding!).

For further discussion of Rue Transnonain, together with the background on its political context and associated publications, and a census of the individuals and institutions who currently have impressions of this print, we recommend viewing the online Daumier Catalogue Raisonne, called the Daumier Register.