A Visit to the Baths. Queuing in front of the changing rooms - or the steam bath before the cold bath, plate 20 from Croquis D'été

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph titled "A Visit to the Baths" as part of his "Croquis D'été" series. Notice the long queue of men waiting, clutching towels, before entering the bathing rooms. The act of communal bathing is a motif stretching back to ancient Roman thermae, places not just for hygiene, but for social interaction and public life. This image echoes the Roman tradition, yet it's transposed into a modern, urban setting. The towel, a symbol of both modesty and vulnerability, appears in countless artistic depictions of bathers throughout history. Consider the emotional tension in the faces of the men, a collective anxiety about exposure and intimacy. The human desire for cleansing and renewal is powerful, and Daumier captures how the crowd embodies our shared anxieties and desires. This scene reminds us that even in modernity, the echoes of our cultural past continue to resonate.