Eight Degrees below Freezing 1847

Editor: This is Honoré Daumier's "Eight Degrees below Freezing." It's a print, and the stark lines really convey the bite of the cold. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, consider how Daumier titles it "Les Bons Bourgeois"—the good middle class. Note how they are bundled, protected, yet still exposed to the elements. What does that juxtaposition tell us? Editor: That even the comfortable are vulnerable. I guess the cold is the great leveler here? Curator: Precisely. And, how that collective memory of shared hardship binds a society. Editor: So, it’s a comment on shared experience and societal bonds. Thanks for the insight. Curator: My pleasure. It's amazing how Daumier captures such universal feelings with simple lines.