Les merveilles de la gymnastique ... c. 19th century

This print was made by Honoré Daumier using lithography, a process involving drawing with a grease crayon on a prepared stone, then printing. The choice of lithography is significant; it allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction, perfectly suited to Daumier’s role as a satirical commentator on French society. His caricatures often targeted the bourgeoisie, and here we see that theme emerge again in the form of two gentlemen playing billiards. The artist exaggerates their features to humorous effect. Daumier was deeply engaged with the social realities of his time. Lithography enabled his work to reach a wide audience through newspapers and journals. This print is not just an image but an act of social critique, made possible by a specific technology and the labor of the artist himself. It reminds us that art is always embedded in a web of production, distribution, and consumption.