In Bercy. “We are doing everything to avoid that the river Seine overflows... and there are still people who are questioning our good intentions,” plate 321 from Actualités 1856

Curator: Here we have Honoré Daumier's lithograph from 1856, titled "In Bercy. 'We are doing everything to avoid that the river Seine overflows... and there are still people who are questioning our good intentions,' plate 321 from Actualités". Editor: My first thought? A melancholic satire, capturing human effort in the face of, perhaps, futility. It's gritty, almost oppressive with those looming barrels. Curator: Oppression is a keen observation. Daumier, a master of social commentary, uses lithography—a printing technique allowing for broad distribution—to address concerns about the Seine and civic responsibility. Bercy was, and is, a warehousing district for wine and spirits near the Seine. Editor: Right. So, there's that interesting dichotomy between something celebratory, like the barrels, and the more sobering image. These laborers, bent under their tasks, the dark hatching giving the whole thing this somber, critical edge. Almost as though this optimism about taming nature, as written in the print's title, rings hollow to the artist himself. Curator: Indeed. The visual weight of the barrels suggests a system teetering under its own abundance, if not outright negligence. It reflects a growing skepticism towards those in power, doesn't it? The materiality—the cheap, reproducible lithograph—amplifies his message. He's taking aim at civic negligence and empty promises, producing accessible, biting criticism for the masses. Editor: And the characters’ cartoonish features! The exaggerated noses… it all makes it wonderfully clear how flawed Daumier believes their grand scheme to be. It becomes less about their struggle with wine storage and more about their relationship to their responsibility to something far larger than themselves. It almost mocks a disconnect from their humanity. It is all pretty affecting stuff! Curator: Precisely. A complex blend of Romantic ideals and a nascent realism emerges. Editor: It really gives you pause, doesn't it? You think, "How far have we truly come?" Curator: An apt reflection to end on, suggesting timelessness!