A passenger having paid his ticket to NEW YORK on the LEVIATHAN, waiting for the ship finally being put into the water, plate 479 from Actualités 1858

This lithograph, "A passenger having paid his ticket to NEW YORK on the LEVIATHAN…," was created by Honoré Daumier. The eye is immediately drawn to the stark contrast between the small, huddled figure of the passenger and the looming, unfinished ship in the background. Daumier uses line and scale to create a visual metaphor for the anxiety and anticipation of travel. The dense, cross-hatched lines that form the passenger and his bag contrast with the rougher lines of the ship, creating a sense of unease. We can see the ship and its placement relative to the passenger as symbolic of the vastness of the journey and the uncertainties of modern life. Through the interplay of scale, line, and texture, Daumier invites us to reflect on the individual's place within the rapidly industrializing world. The unfinished ship becomes a signifier of modernity's unfulfilled promises. This work doesn't offer a definitive message, but rather opens a space for ongoing dialogue about progress, expectation, and the human condition.