Parisians who will never be placed under surveillance of the secret police, plate 12 from Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra 1847

Curator: Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "Parisians who will never be placed under surveillance of the secret police, plate 12 from Tout Ce Qu'on Voudra", created in 1847. It is now housed here at the Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: The name feels like pointed irony. There's a real stillness here, but also tension, especially in the man resting his head on his hand. I imagine these gentlemen believe their quiet game renders them invisible. Curator: Precisely. Daumier excelled at using the mundane aspects of Parisian life to make incisive political commentary. Underneath King Louis Philippe's reign, there was censorship and widespread surveillance. Daumier spent time in prison for similar works! Editor: So, the game itself might function as a symbol. Do you think this game is checkers, with its light and dark pieces, to represent the all-seeing "secret police" that loom over them? Curator: That is an astute reading. By showing seemingly innocuous, bourgeois gentlemen engrossed in checkers, Daumier suggests who truly held power. He plays on that very anxiety through visual puns of the ever-watchful eye. He uses a symbol, a familiar, comfortable scene, against itself. Editor: The "all seeing eye", and their naiveté towards it—a symbol for both state power and the bourgeoisie denial of it. Curator: Precisely. Notice the subtle realism in Daumier's rendering— the slight untidiness of the room, their clothes and slumped figures. These everyday details serve to further the socio-political critique, grounding it in relatable human terms. Editor: It's a poignant reminder that power operates often in ways we might easily overlook or consider inconsequential, while at the same time this fear of secret surveillance has always been current. A fascinating capture, from that era, with a sense of timelessness that is still present. Curator: A potent work that is both a product of its time and endlessly relevant. I invite visitors to linger and see just what this satirical scene sparks within them.