“- Here, Eudoxie, take my bear skin... since from now on I will not have the pleasure any more to wear it, I give it to you to make a muff out of it... This way I have at least the satisfaction of seeing it from time to time” 1848

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, whose title translates to: “Here, Eudoxie, take my bear skin… since from now on I will not have the pleasure any more to wear it, I give it to you to make a muff out of it… This way I have at least the satisfaction of seeing it from time to time." Daumier was a master of social satire, critiquing the bourgeoisie and the political figures of 19th-century France. This piece speaks volumes about gender and power. The officer's words drip with condescension as he gives the bearskin to Eudoxie, reducing her to a passive recipient of his unwanted affections. The bearskin itself becomes a symbol of male virility and dominance, repurposed as a mere accessory for a woman. The humor underscores a deeper commentary on the unequal power dynamics inherent in courtship and marriage during this period. It invites us to consider the limited agency women had and the ways in which they were often treated as objects of exchange. This image, drawn with a sharp eye and an even sharper wit, asks us to reflect on the subtle yet pervasive forms of control within intimate relationships.