An Excusable Error. Chickens thinking they have found the cage where they spent their early childhood, plate 21 from La Crinolomanie 1857

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, "An Excusable Error", which appeared as a print in the series "La Crinolomanie." in mid-19th century France. This was a period when fashion and social satire were fertile ground for commentary. Daumier uses the exaggerated silhouette of a woman's crinoline—the large, cage-like understructure that expanded skirts to comical proportions—as the focal point of his critique. The chickens pecking around the edges of her dress suggest they mistake it for a coop. Daumier critiques the artificiality and absurdity of bourgeois fashion. The crinoline, while a symbol of status, also confined women, restricting their movement and agency. In this light, the chickens' perception of the dress as a cage gains a poignant layer of meaning. Are these women trapped by societal expectations, much like the chickens in a coop? Daumier invites us to consider the cost of conforming to fleeting trends. His humor reveals deeper questions about freedom, identity, and the roles we play.