"Would Monsieur like some crêpes?.. - He must have been an undertaker," plate five from Croquis Parisiens (Parisian Sketches) Possibly 1855

This lithograph, made by Honoré Daumier, presents a scene of Parisian life with a satirical edge. Daumier was a master of this printmaking technique, which allowed for the relatively quick reproduction of images for mass consumption. The bold lines and tonal variations, achieved through careful application of grease to a stone matrix, give the image a direct, almost gritty feel. This aesthetic perfectly suits Daumier's subject matter: the emerging bourgeois class of Paris. Here, we see a waiter, rendered with exaggerated features, offering crêpes to a table of diners. The humor lies in the waiter's cadaverous appearance, underscored by the caption: "He must have been an undertaker." Daumier is commenting on the social dynamics of the time, specifically the service industry and the often-unequal relationship between the server and the served. Lithography was crucial in disseminating such social commentary to a wide audience, blurring the lines between fine art and popular culture.