Bobonne... ne le regarde pas tant! 1836

Editor: Here we have Honoré Daumier’s 1836 lithograph, “Bobonne… ne le regarde pas tant!”. It seems to be a comical scene of people visiting what I assume is a zoo. I'm struck by how cartoonish and almost grotesque the figures appear. What symbols do you see at play in Daumier's composition? Curator: The figures *are* exaggerated. The caricatures are heavy with symbolism. Consider the orangutan, elevated, separate—a distorted mirror reflecting back at the bourgeoisie below. Daumier often used animals to symbolize base human instincts or to satirize societal hypocrisy. Do you notice how the supposedly refined figures are rendered with bestial features? Editor: Yes! Now that you mention it, the man on the left, clinging to the woman, has incredibly prominent teeth and a strange, almost desperate expression. Curator: Precisely. He’s pulling her away, saying “Bobonne…don’t look at it so much!”. There's a psychological tension here. What is it that he fears she will recognize, looking at the orangutan? The "beast within" that civilization tries to repress? Editor: So the cartoonish qualities aren't just for humor; they highlight something deeper, a societal commentary? Is he suggesting their "civilized" exterior is just a facade? Curator: It is a strong suggestion, yes. Consider the setting - a zoo, a place where the "wild" is contained and observed, making us consider the boundary between "us" and "them". Daumier invites us to reflect on what it means to be human, or perhaps, inhuman. The woman's fixed gaze contrasts with the child being pulled. Is there some loss of innocence reflected here? Editor: I see, the whole image seems to point to this kind of cultural anxiety regarding class and “animalistic” urges, revealing hypocrisy in romantic era society. Curator: Exactly. We see an unveiling of uncomfortable truths beneath the surface of bourgeois society, echoed through a very rich visual symbolism, embedded into its figures.