“- What? you are pressing the grapes with your feet?… - Sure, and it's not dirty at all… since I took off my shoes!,” plate 1 from Croquis D'automne 1858

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, titled “- What? you are pressing the grapes with your feet?… - Sure, and it's not dirty at all… since I took off my shoes!,” as part of his series, “Croquis D'automne.” Daumier lived through a period of immense social upheaval in France. His art often critiques the bourgeoisie, and champions the working class. This image encapsulates this tension through the lens of labor and class distinctions. We see a vigneron, a vineyard worker, presumably speaking with a bourgeois woman. Her dress is elaborate, hers is a life of leisure and privilege. His body is exposed, his labor is seen, and his reply attempts to bridge the gap between perceived dirtiness and the reality of his labor. The very act of removing his shoes becomes a comical attempt to negotiate social perceptions. Daumier’s image prompts us to consider how labor, class, and perceptions of cleanliness intertwine, and to reflect on the value that society ascribes to different forms of work.