The Dogs are Again Falling in Despair After Having Heard that There Will Be a New Dog Licence Tax After All, plate 171 from Actualités 1855

Editor: We’re looking at Honoré Daumier's lithograph, "The Dogs are Again Falling in Despair After Having Heard that There Will Be a New Dog Licence Tax After All," created in 1855. It's… well, it's pretty bleak. A group of dogs looking utterly dejected, and an official who looks completely unmoved. What do you see in this piece beyond the surface sadness? Curator: Beyond the surface, I see a scathing commentary on power dynamics and societal indifference. Consider the historical context: Daumier created this during a period of immense social upheaval in France, a time rife with economic disparity and political repression. Editor: How does that relate to the dogs? Curator: The dogs become stand-ins for the marginalized, their despair directly linked to the imposition of a "dog license tax." This tax wasn't really about dogs, was it? Instead it operated as another means of social control, disproportionately affecting the working class who often kept dogs as companions. The "Société Protectrice des Animaux" sign behind them, coupled with the unbothered official, creates an irony so thick it's suffocating. What does that juxtaposition evoke for you? Editor: It highlights a performative empathy, right? The society *claims* to protect animals, but the system still oppresses them—or, rather, the people who care for them. It's a critique of empty promises. Curator: Precisely! And consider the visual language: Daumier's loose, expressive lines amplify the dogs' emotional state. This isn't just a picture of sad dogs; it's a visual embodiment of systemic oppression. Editor: So, it's about using animals to talk about human struggles. Curator: Exactly! It challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths about social structures and their impact on vulnerable populations. Understanding art like this forces us to see echoes in our own time, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. I hadn’t thought about the tax as a symbol of broader control, but it makes total sense now. It’s much more than just a drawing of sad dogs. Curator: And much of Daumier's biting humour helped pave the way for critical discourses around class and animal rights, which makes this print profoundly resonant.