Chap. XIV: Quels inhumains! me mettre dehors! (How inhuman to put me out-of-doors!) 1824

Victor Adam created this lithograph titled "Chap. XIV: Quels inhumains! me mettre dehors!" during a time of significant social upheaval in France. This work presents us with an opportunity to consider the intersections of class and identity during the 19th century. The print depicts a well-dressed man locked out in the snow, exclaiming about the inhumanity of his situation. Adam captures a moment of displaced entitlement. In this period, social status dictated access and privilege, making the man's outrage, at being exposed to the elements, both ironic and telling. He expected better treatment because of his class. What does it mean to be left out in the cold, literally and figuratively? Adam encourages us to reflect on how society constructs and enforces boundaries of inclusion and exclusion based on class. He evokes a sense of empathy, while also prompting critical consideration of social injustice.