"All voters, big and small, gather to humbly coax each other..." from the Little Miseries of Human Life 1843

Curator: The detail in this print is remarkable; it’s like stepping into a tiny, bustling world. Editor: It feels immediately satirical, almost grotesquely so, though the fine lines and careful shading lend it an air of… elegance, maybe? Curator: Exactly. What we have here is an etching with engraving by J.J. Grandville from 1843, residing now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is part of a series called *Little Miseries of Human Life*, and the caption beneath the image reads, "All voters, big and small, gather to humbly coax each other..." Editor: "Humbly coax." A perfect phrase for this scene. I immediately notice the exaggerated postures of the men gathered. The body language alone speaks volumes about power dynamics, right? The stout figure in the center practically radiating self-importance. Curator: Absolutely. And consider the symbolic weight of a physical handshake in a voting scenario. The drawing seems to capture the performative aspects of democratic participation, or rather, what Grandville perceived of it. What's fascinating is how such visual cues create and sustain social hierarchies and traditions. The artist suggests all these charming gestures might belie other less savory interactions within politics. Editor: That touches on the social history so precisely, and that image brings so many readings of public life to my mind. Are we really meant to believe that political rituals—the handshakes, the speeches, even voting itself—genuinely equalize power? The composition subtly mocks that very idea, reflecting societal power relations, especially around suffrage. The looming figure with his cane, that is all to telling. Curator: His imposing form reminds me of certain archetypal figures: the 'wise elder' or perhaps even the overbearing 'patriarch'. I notice an entire tradition that echoes even into contemporary imagery about politics. Even if unconscious, we are still coaxing voters, of big and small import. Editor: Seeing this engraving, in the broader frame of its time period, is to reflect upon how institutional and performative social structures become ingrained through symbolic and public-facing presentations. Grandville uses those visual languages to point out discrepancies of power, doesn't he? Curator: He certainly does. These “little miseries”, these human dramas frozen in time, speak to the ways we constantly enact and negotiate power. It is incredible to observe cultural patterns expressed with just strokes of an etching. Editor: Indeed, a truly enduring commentary from 1843 on the ironies of power and persuasion within social practices, continuing today.