Eh bien Malin! comment le trouvez vous celui-la! c. 19th century

This lithograph, "Eh bien Malin! comment le trouvez vous celui-la!", was made by Honoré Daumier in the 19th century. Daumier was a master of lithography, a printmaking process that democratized image production. Unlike painting or sculpture, lithography allowed for mass production. The artist draws on a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then treats the surface so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. This image, likely created for a newspaper or journal, captures a scene of Parisian life. The very nature of lithography connected Daumier's art to the burgeoning world of mass media and consumption, allowing his social commentary to reach a wide audience. The somewhat caricatured portrayal of the two figures hints at a critique of the bourgeoisie, their leisure, and perhaps their moral vacuity. Daumier's choice of lithography, a medium suited for reproduction, aligns with his role as a social observer and critic within the rapidly changing landscape of 19th-century France. It underscores the importance of considering how art, like craft, could be enmeshed with social issues.