Some say that your Monsieur, Monsieur Polyte, wants, despite the respect he owes you, to eat his estate in [truffes] truffles ... You mean in [turf] the racetrack, old man Pigaud., p. 11 1853

Editor: This lithograph by Paul Gavarni, titled "Some say that your Monsieur, Monsieur Polyte, wants, despite the respect he owes you, to eat his estate in [truffles] truffles ... You mean in [turf] the racetrack, old man Pigaud.," features two men in conversation. There's a stark contrast in their attire. What social commentary do you see at play here? Curator: Gavarni uses the setting, a casual outdoor scene, to subtly critique class dynamics. The dialogue itself highlights a concern with wealth and its potential mismanagement. Editor: So it’s a commentary on the anxieties surrounding wealth at the time? Curator: Precisely. The print invites us to consider how economic anxieties were expressed and circulated through popular visual culture. Editor: That really makes me rethink my initial assumptions about the image. Curator: It's a reminder that art often reflects and shapes our understanding of social issues.