Descent of the Bohemians c. 1860

Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz painted “Descent of the Bohemians” at a time in mid-nineteenth-century France when artists were seeking new ways to represent modern life. Diaz here captures a scene of everyday life, yet also touches on the historical and social dimensions of Bohemian culture. In the 1840s, the term Bohemian alluded to migrants thought to have come from Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. Over time, the term became associated with artists, writers, and intellectuals who challenged bourgeois values. We should bear in mind that this stereotype was often applied to marginalized groups as a way to cast suspicion on them. To understand this painting fully, we should turn to historical sources, contemporary accounts, and sociological studies of marginal communities. Art history, like any history, is contingent on such work.