Vader gaat zijn zoon te lijf met een stok 1843

Paul Gavarni created this print, "Vader gaat zijn zoon te lijf met een stok" or "Father attacks his son with a stick," using lithography. It is now held in the Rijksmuseum. Made in 19th century France, this image offers a window into the era’s social anxieties and class tensions. The print depicts a father, well-dressed and wielding a stick, confronting his son, who appears disheveled amidst scattered objects, perhaps after a night of frivolity. Gavarni's work often satirized Parisian life, particularly the behaviors of the bourgeois class and their interactions with the city’s emerging subcultures. Consider the implications of depicting domestic conflict so publicly. Is Gavarni commenting on the breakdown of traditional family structures, or perhaps critiquing the perceived excesses of modern life? To fully understand Gavarni's intent, we might turn to period literature, social commentary, and visual culture, all of which shed light on the complex dynamics of 19th-century Parisian society.