“- I would have bet on it… instead of taking him to see Séraphin you take him to a drama.... it's bad enough for adults already, poor little thing!... - Don't worry Madame, this is the way children are enjoying themselves,” plate 34 from Moeurs Conjugales 1841

Curator: " - I would have bet on it… instead of taking him to see Séraphin you take him to a drama… it’s bad enough for adults already, poor little thing!… - Don’t worry Madame, this is the way children are enjoying themselves,” plate 34 from Moeurs Conjugales, a lithograph made by Honoré Daumier in 1841, now at the Art Institute of Chicago. The scene looks a bit satirical. Everyone appears so stressed and miserable except, perhaps, the person who brought them. What do you see in this piece that stands out to you? Editor: The most compelling aspect, for me, lies in the materiality and its production as a lithograph during that specific period. The ability to create and disseminate these images widely hints at the growing culture of mass consumption. Think about the socio-economic conditions – who had access to this imagery? Was it the bourgeoisie consuming images of themselves? Curator: That’s insightful. Consider the material process: Daumier, a working-class artist, utilizes the relatively inexpensive lithography to comment on the lives of the Parisian bourgeoisie. The very act of producing this artwork reflects the changing power dynamics in 19th-century France, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, it blurs the line between art and social commentary, almost a form of accessible protest using readily available material processes. The availability democratizes the process. So is the image of a middle-class family more a commentary on its state, or more so an access point? Curator: The image is undoubtedly both, with access points to reveal inner conditions. Now, where was the print produced and sold, and what labor went into that? Answering these questions may highlight how artistic expression was tied to both its social and its material existence at that time. Editor: Thinking about this print in terms of its materials and the process of its making provides a deeper understanding of its cultural context. Thanks for illuminating that for me. Curator: My pleasure. It's about understanding that every artwork is deeply intertwined with the materials and conditions of its creation.