"A Banker" from Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals 1832 - 1852

"A Banker" is a lithograph from the series *Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals* created by the French artist J.J. Grandville. A satirical look at human nature, this image depicts a turkey, dressed as a banker, with a top hat and tails, and a pile of gold at his feet. The artist’s use of caricature and animal symbolism provided a humorous commentary on social roles and class divisions prevalent in 19th-century France. The work, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a prime example of Grandville’s distinctive style of social commentary.