A Confession Of Faith. “Yes Sir, I bared my political life in pure sincerity before my country. I was convinced that my true love for our institutions would make me worthy of representing my fellow citizens. I was wrong, Monsieur, it seems the nation wasn't ready for this yet,” plate 23 from Les Baigneurs 1842

Honoré Daumier, a master of social satire, created this lithograph, plate 23 from “Les Baigneurs.” Here, Daumier sets the scene in a bathhouse, a place where social classes mix, and pretenses often drop away along with the clothes. We see a bather, stripped bare and vulnerable, confessing his political failures to a clothed gentleman. The bather laments, "I bared my political life in pure sincerity before my country...it seems the nation wasn't ready for this yet.” Daumier uses the bathhouse as a metaphor for political exposure, highlighting the risks and vulnerabilities inherent in public life. This work challenges the viewer to consider the emotional toll of political defeat and the often-hypocritical nature of public opinion. The rawness of the setting, combined with the frankness of the confession, evokes a sense of discomfort. What happens when one bares their soul, only to be rejected?