“- Well, if you want to liberate the butchers' commerce, why are you against my weighing a few bones with the meat?… you are really strange, same as ever!,” plate 472 from Actualités 1857

This lithograph, plate 472 from Actualités, was made by Honoré Daumier. Lithography is a printmaking process using a flat stone or metal plate on which the image areas are worked using a greasy substance so that the ink will adhere to them, while the non-image areas are made ink-repellent. Daumier masterfully uses the greasy crayon to create a rich, textured surface, capturing the scene's gritty reality. The contrast between light and shadow emphasizes the characters' expressions and the weight of their situation, highlighting the power dynamics at play. Daumier was deeply interested in the lives of ordinary people. His work is full of social commentary, and in this print, he depicts a butcher attempting to cheat a customer by adding bones to the scale. He made many works commenting on class and labor in France during a period of rapid industrialization. The print offers a glimpse into the everyday struggles of the working class. Looking closely at Daumier's process gives us insight into the social and political context of his time, blurring the lines between fine art and social commentary.