Mama! Mama! That man from Luxemburg you said was a good friend of Papa's (you know you did) c. 19th century

Curator: This drawing by Paul Gavarni, called "Mama! Mama! That man from Luxemburg you said was a good friend of Papa's (you know you did)," strikes me as wonderfully melancholic. The figures, all turned away... there's a palpable sense of distance. Editor: Yes, and the lithographic process here is key. Gavarni masterfully uses the greasy crayon on the stone to create these varied textures. Look at how the dense cross-hatching defines the men’s coats, versus the smooth tones of the mother’s dress. Curator: It really does feel like a memory, doesn't it? Faded, perhaps a bit distorted by a child's perspective. The way the boy tugs at his mother... is he aware of the tension we sense? Editor: It's a study of social dynamics, really. Class and gender are performed through dress, posture, the very act of observing or ignoring. We are implicated as viewers too, looking in on this scene. Curator: I’m left wondering about the unseen Papa, and that friend from Luxemburg. The story is so open... so full of implied narratives. Editor: And Gavarni uses such economical means to suggest this social commentary. It’s quite brilliant, when you consider the material and historical constraints of producing such images for mass consumption.