Vous finirez par vous lasser de m'attaquer... 1851

Editor: So, this is Honoré Daumier's lithograph from 1851, "You'll tire of attacking me... poor little Myrmidons!" I find the central female figure strangely passive, while all these frantic, caricatured figures swarm around her. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The apparent passivity of the central figure is key. Note how she’s identified as "République Française." The lithograph is pregnant with symbolic meaning related to cultural memory and history. What does it tell you to see her so weary while these diminutive figures—presumably representing the press, or perhaps political opponents—attack her? Editor: It suggests the Republic is enduring some serious attacks but isn’t threatened, maybe? The title says they'll eventually tire of it, after all. Curator: Precisely. Daumier uses the visual language of scale to establish power dynamics. Consider, too, the cultural weight of the word "Myrmidons" - those are the loyal, fearsome warriors of Achilles in Greek myth. Are they really so fearsome here, so 'loyal'? The tiny figures reference a classical trope while ironically diminishing their actual threat. Editor: That contrast makes the Republic's endurance even more compelling. She represents this massive, established thing while they are just these little pests nipping at her heels, like annoying flies. Curator: The choice of lithography too speaks volumes about its historical role. Prints and lithographs helped shape political discourse during the 19th Century. How might that knowledge shift our perception of Daumier’s message? Editor: Knowing it's a widely-distributed print changes everything! It’s not just a personal statement; it's intended to sway public opinion. He's inviting people to see the attackers as ultimately powerless. I hadn’t fully considered the print medium until now. Curator: Indeed. It gives immediacy to the artwork that, without considering the cultural memory, and social environment of distribution, would pass by unacknowledged.