“- Citizen, you owe me another five sous for your luggage, and I am even generous because if I wanted to I could count your wife as a second piece of luggage,” plate 457 from Actualités 1857

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, plate 457 from Actualités, which now resides at the Art Institute of Chicago. Daumier was a master of social satire, using his art to critique the bourgeoisie and comment on the socio-political climate of 19th-century France. Here, we see a tense interaction where a man is being overcharged for his luggage. But read that caption! The driver callously jokes that he could have charged the man extra for his wife, whom he equates to a second piece of luggage. What does it say about a society when a man can humorously devalue a woman in public? Daumier captures the emotional weight of this belittlement, a common experience for women navigating a world shaped by male dominance. Through this seemingly simple street scene, Daumier exposes the economic exploitation and gender inequality prevalent in his time, sparking reflection on the subtle yet pervasive forms of oppression.