Oh! ma femme est morte! 1836

This hand-colored lithograph is by Honoré Daumier and part of the Galerie Physionomique series, offering a pointed commentary on social types in 19th-century France. Here, Daumier's "Oh! ma femme est morte!" presents a man with shaving cream still on his face, seemingly more concerned with his financial state than his recent loss. The image conveys meaning through caricature. The man’s exaggerated features, like his wild hair and thick glasses, coupled with his disheveled appearance, suggest a certain level of social critique. It critiques the bourgeoisie obsession with wealth, highlighting a perceived moral bankruptcy within the emerging capitalist society. Daumier was a master of using the print medium to reach a wide audience, often publishing in newspapers that were critical of the government. His work challenged the norms of the art world, which was then dominated by academic painting and sculpture, and questioned the social values of his time. To understand Daumier's work better, we can look to sources of popular culture, the history of printmaking, and studies of class in 19th-century France. The meaning of Daumier's art is really dependent on the social context in which it was made and viewed.