Musical Seances 1865

Editor: So, this is "Musical Seances" by Honoré Daumier. It's a print, no date specified. The floating instruments above the audience's head give it a surreal feel. What strikes you about it? Curator: Well, I'm drawn to the means of its production. Daumier was a master lithographer; the dense cross-hatching shows the labor involved in creating this image for mass consumption. The subject – a satirical take on spiritualism – speaks volumes about the social anxieties of the time and the commodification of belief. Editor: That's a great point. I hadn't considered the process of lithography in relation to its critique. Curator: Consider how the mass-produced image itself mirrors the mass appeal and potential for exploitation inherent in these seances. Editor: I see! It’s like the image’s form echoes its content. Thanks!