“Brigand of a may-bug... it's you who devours all my property. You shall perish through my hand!,” plate 32 from Pastorales 1845

“Brigand of a may-bug... it's you who devours all my property. You shall perish through my hand!,” plate 32 from Pastorales, is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier from 1845. The work is part of the series of lithographic prints that satirized the life and customs of the French middle class, which Daumier was known to depict with a mixture of humor and sharp criticism. The image features a man in a long coat and cap, gesturing dramatically while standing in a field outside a building. The use of black and white tones and the exaggerated figures, a recurring element in Daumier’s work, are a trademark of the artist’s characteristic style.