The Exposition. --Peace 1867

Curator: Honoré Daumier, a very astute observer of French society, created this lithograph. It's titled "The Exposition—Peace." Editor: It strikes me as bitterly satirical. That grotesque figure, labeled "Exposition Universelle," is being offered a drink by a personification of Peace. The contrast is jarring. Curator: Precisely. Daumier is commenting on the way grand international expositions, meant to foster peace and understanding, were often bloated displays of national ego and commercialism. Editor: The figure representing the Exposition is so overblown, almost monstrous. It's as if the event itself has become a grotesque parody of its stated ideals. Curator: Yes, and notice the inscription along the bottom: The Exposition says, "Pardon me for not offering you a chair, but you know..." And Peace replies, "Don’t mind me, I am used to not being seated." Editor: So Peace is perpetually offering hospitality that's never reciprocated? The symbolism is biting. Daumier’s commentary on the politics of peace is pretty relevant even today, isn't it?