A Concert Announcement 1843

Editor: This lithograph, "A Concert Announcement" by Honoré Daumier, seems to capture a satirical view of concertgoers. It’s striking how the artist uses line work to create these almost caricatured figures. What stands out to you about the materials and the social commentary? Curator: Daumier’s lithographs were mass-produced; this print would have been distributed widely through newspapers. The content mocks the bourgeois pretensions of attending such concerts, where the labor of the musicians is consumed as entertainment. Do you notice how the figures become types rather than individuals through Daumier's rendering? Editor: I do, especially in how they're grouped. It seems like he's pointing out a disconnect. Curator: Exactly. And that disconnect highlights the material reality of art consumption. We’re left pondering the societal structures that underpin artistic production and reception. Editor: I never thought about a lithograph showing class disparities. Thank you!