Une 1er reprèsentation de la bourse c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, “Une 1er reprèsentation de la bourse,” a satirical look at the Paris stock exchange, sometime in the mid-19th century. Daumier's artwork reflects the burgeoning capitalist society of 19th-century France, capturing the social dynamics and anxieties of a society undergoing rapid economic change. The print portrays a group of men, presumably investors or speculators, fixated on an event unfolding before them. There is a sense of anticipation, perhaps even desperation, in their upturned faces. In an era marked by stark class divisions, Daumier often used his art to critique the bourgeoisie and their pursuit of wealth. He captured the emotional climate of the time. The lithograph makes one wonder about the human cost of economic progress and the emotional toll of financial insecurity.