"Be Quiet! I Believe That We Came to Discover . . ." 1843

Curator: This lithograph is by Honoré Daumier, and its full title is quite a mouthful: "Be Quiet! I Believe That We Came to Discover..." Editor: It feels like a stage set—figures frozen mid-motion against a backdrop that's equal parts menacing and absurd. Curator: Daumier was a master of social satire, so I wonder what these Parisian boaters symbolize? Perhaps the folly of bourgeois ambition? Editor: I think there is social commentary in the imagery, but it's like a half-remembered joke. The chef looks like he is trying to lure his friends into danger. I sense darkness laced with mordant humor. Curator: I see that too. It really makes you wonder where they think they are going. Editor: I will be thinking about it for the rest of the day, that's for sure.