The Emperor of Morocco in Consultation With the Famous Magician Desbarolles. “- This small line here indicates to me that you are going to get a royal thrashing!,” plate 126 from Actualités 1859

This lithograph was created by Honoré Daumier, and it's a great example of how a relatively simple material—in this case, a stone matrix and greasy crayon—can be used to pack a serious political punch. Daumier was a master of lithography, a process that allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction of images. This was crucial, as his prints were often satirical commentaries on French society and politics, intended for mass consumption in newspapers and journals. The beauty of lithography lies in its directness; the artist draws directly onto the stone, and the resulting print retains a sense of immediacy. The dense hatching and cross-hatching gives the figures volume and dynamism. The satirical content here skewers political power. The lithographic process allowed Daumier to address issues of labor, class, and political corruption in a way that few other mediums could. It’s a reminder that even the most seemingly humble materials can be powerful tools for social commentary.