“- Open up..... it's me.... the veal-stew!,” plate 17 from Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra 1847

This lithograph, "Open up... it's me... the veal-stew!," was created by Honoré Daumier as part of his series "Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra." Daumier made this work during a time of significant social upheaval in France. His art often critiques the bourgeoisie, highlighting class tensions and the absurdities of everyday life. Here, we see two waiters, one peering through a door, announcing himself not as a person, but as a dish: veal stew. There's a poignant commentary on identity here. The waiter, reduced to his function, embodies the dehumanizing aspects of labor. Daumier captures a sense of the individual lost within the service industry, a theme that resonates deeply when we consider the socio-economic disparities of 19th-century Paris. The statement is laced with an emotional undercurrent of alienation. Daumier challenges conventional representations by blurring the lines between person and commodity. He confronts us with the emotional and personal cost of economic structures.