Oh! Papa, papa ...v'la un beau ... c. 19th century

Curator: This lithograph is by Honoré Daumier, titled "Oh! Papa, papa ...v'la un beau..." It’s thought to have been made around the mid-19th century. Editor: It strikes me as both charming and melancholic. The figures seem pulled from a dream—or perhaps a slightly threadbare memory. The rough hewn line of the lithograph reminds me of old photo albums; its texture communicates a similar weight. Curator: It is a great demonstration of the lithographic technique; Daumier utilized a greasy crayon on limestone. These prints, disseminated widely through newspapers and journals, served as powerful tools of social critique and observation in his era, democratizing art, in a way, through accessible imagery. Editor: Accessible indeed! You see the grasping energy of the child—pure want and frustration etched on their tiny, pulling hand! And the weariness of the father is palpable. But that open-air shop… it is dreamlike. It brings the nostalgia of childhood to life— I swear I had that toy drum. Curator: The humor here emerges from the tensions within consumer culture itself—the clash between the spectacle of commodified desires presented by objects and the everyday economic constraints within family life. Daumier cleverly represents this through caricature and subtle social commentary. Note the background, in that sense, there are people milling, other objects being offered and bought… this creates a contrast with the family who are clearly hesitant in what they should and shouldn’t acquire. Editor: Right—it is that beautiful push-pull! The joy and burden all swirled together! The dark linework and shading only amplify it. Curator: Studying the methods by which an artist makes the invisible power structures around material culture legible provides insight into the means of their production and also encourages us to confront those dynamics today. Editor: Precisely. It makes one wonder what little cravings our modern screens ignite! It all stays swirling like that toy stall, doesn't it? The question isn't should we have these cravings but rather what does craving tell us about ourselves and the culture we inhabit?