Ouverture de la chasse c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, "Ouverture de la chasse", sometime in the mid-19th century, a period marked by significant social and political upheaval in France. Daumier, known for his satirical commentary on Parisian life, captures the intersection of class and culture through the lens of a hunting scene. The image depicts a Parisian, unaccustomed to the wild, in a farcical encounter with wildlife. The humor underscores a cultural divide, contrasting the bourgeois city dweller with the ruggedness of rural life. Daumier’s satire suggests a critique of the urban elite's detachment from the realities of the natural world. The subtitle of the lithograph reads: "A Parisian who is not used to meeting wild animals". Daumier’s work invites us to reflect on our own encounters with unfamiliar territories, and the often comical, sometimes jarring, collisions between different worlds and ways of life.