A Model Marriage: For Thirty Years They Have Cultivated Virtue and Carnations, plate six from Les Bons Bourgeois 1846

"A Model Marriage: For Thirty Years They Have Cultivated Virtue and Carnations," is a lithograph by Honoré Daumier from his series "Les Bons Bourgeois," which satirizes the hypocrisy of the French middle class. In this image, an older couple, dressed in their finery and peering out from a window, are portrayed tending to potted plants. The humorous caption translates to "Model marriage - for thirty years they have cultivated virtue and the carnation!" This lithograph, created in 1846, exemplifies Daumier's sharp wit and masterful use of caricature. The artwork is a fine example of French lithographic printmaking and satirical art.