Robert Macaire, Marriage Agent 1836

Editor: Here's Honoré Daumier's lithograph, *Robert Macaire, Marriage Agent.* The figures are so exaggerated, it's almost grotesque. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Daumier’s work often skewers the bourgeoisie. This lithograph, part of a series, critiques the social institution of marriage as a transaction, highlighting the era’s social climbers and their often-absurd aspirations. Editor: So it's a commentary on societal pressures? Curator: Precisely. Daumier used caricature to expose the moral bankruptcy he saw in the pursuit of wealth and status through marriage. It made his art a powerful form of social critique. Editor: I see it now! The exaggeration serves to highlight that critique of social climbing. Curator: Exactly, it reveals a darker side of ambition within social structures.