Tiens, le moineau a été sepercher c. 19th century

This lithograph, "Tiens, le moineau a été se percher," was made by Honoré Daumier. It’s a print, made from a drawing on a flat slab of limestone. Daumier was a master of this medium, which was a mainstay of nineteenth-century print culture. Think of lithography as a form of industrial drawing, capable of producing images in large numbers. Here, Daumier uses it to satirize bourgeois culture: two hunters, ill-equipped and somewhat ridiculous, search for a sparrow. The quality of the lithographic crayon allowed Daumier to be both precise and expressive; look closely and you can see the subtle gradations of tone that give depth to the image. The very nature of lithography meant that his social commentary could reach a wide audience. It allowed artists to address themes related to labor, leisure, and class in a rapidly changing society. So, next time you see a print like this, remember that its very existence speaks to a larger story of industrialization and social change.