"As the new Actaeon, I surprised Diana, not in her bath but with a dealer in the bathroom." from the Little Miseries of Human Life 1843

Curator: What a wonderfully theatrical scene! The composition, especially the woman's grandiose gown, commands attention, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed! It strikes me immediately as darkly humorous. The contrast between the pristine white suit of the man and the deep, engulfing fabric of the woman's dress speaks volumes. Is that, perhaps, a drawing by J. J. Grandville titled "As the new Actaeon, I surprised Diana, not in her bath but with a dealer in the bathroom," made in 1843? Curator: Precisely. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this print. Notice the fine lines achieved with the colored pencils. Grandville was exceptionally skilled at blending figuration with satire, no? Editor: Absolutely. It appears Grandville is offering us a peek into the 19th-century bourgeoisie’s fixation on appearance and value. This piece seems ripe for examination as commodity fetishism. What "little miseries" arise from this world of luxury and the ever-watchful eyes of society? Curator: Fascinating point. Grandville consistently engaged with those themes. There is almost a staged, operatic quality to this interaction. The male figure holding a flute seems ready to present an extravagant serenade—an ostentatious show of material worth, rather than genuine sentiment. The details in the picture behind also offer some nice symbolic counterbalance, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: That's very sharp! This small print truly is teeming with implications, from labor involved in fashioning those garments to the social performance on display. The elderly chaperone with all those books is particularly interesting; perhaps she's there to keep track of assets. Curator: It gives one pause. It allows you to reflect about contemporary forms of labor too. Editor: Indeed, seeing such layered complexity in a small artwork provides such compelling material for interpretation. Thank you for guiding our examination of this thought-provoking piece.