What a beautiful play! Always the same: its been forty years that that lover has been marrying his beloved., p. 13 1853

Editor: This print, by Paul Gavarni, is titled "What a beautiful play! Always the same: its been forty years that that lover has been marrying his beloved." The cross-hatching gives it such a melancholic feel. What do you see in it? Curator: It's a biting commentary on societal expectations, isn’t it? Gavarni highlights the absurdity of delayed or perpetually unfulfilled promises, specifically within the context of marriage. The figures are stock characters, archetypes trapped in a repetitive cycle. Does the woman's gaze seem confrontational to you? Editor: A bit. I hadn't thought of it that way. Curator: Consider the power dynamics at play. The text mocks the man's prolonged courtship, but the woman's knowing look suggests an awareness, perhaps even a critique, of her own position. What do you think? Editor: It really makes you wonder about her agency in the relationship. Curator: Exactly! It forces us to question the societal pressures that keep them both in this endless loop, and who benefits from the delay. Thanks, I hadn't noticed that. Editor: Me neither!