“- Mister butcher, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year… - What? This is going to be a nice one, this 1858… every grocer around the corner will be able to sell my mutton!…,” plate 481 from Actualités 1858

This lithograph, “- Mister butcher, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year… - What? This is going to be a nice one, this 1858… every grocer around the corner will be able to sell my mutton!…,” plate 481 from Actualités, is part of Honoré Daumier’s series of satirical social commentary. Created in 1858, the work depicts a butcher and a woman customer with the caption suggesting the butcher is anticipating the high demand for meat, perhaps due to a shortage, as a result of a prosperous New Year. Daumier’s use of caricature and social commentary was often found in his lithographic prints, which were both political and social in nature. This work highlights the artist’s astute observation of everyday life in 19th century Paris, where food and economic conditions were subjects of great interest for both the artist and his audience.