"I must have killed a partridge!" 1864

Curator: Here we have Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "I must have killed a partridge!", housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: What strikes me first is the dark humor; that dramatic sky offset by the rather pitiful bird in the hunter's hands. Curator: Daumier's process often involved drawing on lithographic stone, a process that democratized printmaking and disseminated social commentary. This piece speaks to the class tensions of his time. Editor: Yes, the imagery mocks the pretensions of the bourgeois hunter. The small bird, contrasting with the grandiose statement, symbolizes their inflated self-importance. Curator: And lithography allowed for mass production, bringing these satirical images into the homes of ordinary people. It's a fascinating intersection of art, labor, and social critique. Editor: I appreciate the way the visual vocabulary of hunting, traditionally associated with nobility, is subverted to comment on social climbing. I think we can see the image as a warning. Curator: Indeed, Daumier offers a glimpse into 19th-century France, prompting us to reflect on the ever-shifting dynamics of class and aspiration. Editor: Ultimately, a reminder that symbols often betray more than they reveal.