"Good heavens, they're eating all my cabbages...I bought rabbits to get two thousand pounds profit and they are living like they have a three thousand pound income!" 1845

Editor: This drawing by Honoré Daumier, titled "Good heavens, they're eating all my cabbages...I bought rabbits to get two thousand pounds profit and they are living like they have a three thousand pound income!", presents a scene of comical despair. What symbols stand out to you in this piece? Curator: Well, the rabbit, of course, is a long-standing symbol of both fertility and uncontrolled appetite. Daumier juxtaposes this with the figure of the hapless farmer, whose very posture suggests defeat. Doesn't his hunched stance remind you of other downtrodden figures in art history? Editor: Yes, it evokes a sense of powerlessness. It seems the rabbits represent not just literal consumption, but perhaps a larger societal imbalance. Curator: Precisely! The image becomes a commentary on economic disparity, where the farmer's dreams are devoured by forces beyond his control. We are left to ponder the symbolism of thwarted ambition. Editor: It is amazing how Daumier could imbue these animals with so much symbolism!