"Let's not enter that restaurant..." 1857

Curator: This is Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "Let's not enter that restaurant...", and it's currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels so tense! You can practically feel the mother’s reluctance radiating from the print. Curator: Daumier was a master of social commentary, and this piece, likely from the 1850s, really speaks to the class anxieties of 19th-century Paris. Editor: Absolutely. The title itself, the mother’s warning about eating shrimp, highlights the perceived dangers of dining among certain social circles. Was shrimp considered lower class? Curator: Not necessarily lower class, but perhaps associated with establishments that catered to a more diverse, less exclusive clientele. Think about who has access to seafood. Editor: I see that this would definitely resonate with modern audiences who are concerned with the politics of everyday life. Curator: It really shows how Daumier used his art to reflect and critique the social dynamics of his time. Editor: It’s a fascinating lens through which to view the past and the present, revealing that these issues are not always so different.