“- Oh, my friend... I am afraid of these people there. - And rightly so... they are quite vicious, they beat their women and make them have black children!,” plate 101 from Actualités 1859

Curator: Let’s consider this print by Honoré Daumier titled, “- Oh, my friend… I am afraid of these people there. - And rightly so… they are quite vicious, they beat their women and make them have black children!,” plate 101 from Actualités. It's from 1859. Editor: It’s unsettling. The stark contrasts and exaggerated expressions immediately convey anxiety and prejudice. Curator: Exactly. Daumier often used lithography to address socio-political issues in 19th century France. This particular piece skewers the anxieties and racist sentiments of the time, anxieties related to social changes and racial prejudice. Editor: You can clearly see it. It seems he's using caricature to critique the white, bourgeois perception of the other. The expressions of fear and disgust on the faces of the white figures, positioned against the black man, is so over-the-top. The man becomes an almost monstrous "other." It exposes the deep-seated prejudices of that society, specifically towards Black people. Curator: Precisely. And notice how he juxtaposes the alleged violence of "these people" with the casual, everyday violence of patriarchal society – “they beat their women". It's a layered critique revealing a whole matrix of societal power dynamics and historical oppression. Editor: The social realism here is so incisive, the raw, unfiltered emotions it captures resonate even now, which is deeply disturbing. But is the black figure completely devoid of agency here, a mere projection? Curator: That’s a critical question to ask. While the print undeniably exposes the racist views of the time, it’s worth interrogating how Daumier’s portrayal may inadvertently reinforce certain stereotypes, even as he tries to dismantle them. It reveals that the narrative around race and representation are constantly evolving. Editor: So, a call for reflection on art’s complicated role in representing otherness? It is never truly neutral... it is a good starting point to confront biases still affecting us today.