“- It's useless to show you my apartment. We are not renting out to mothers with children,” plate 1 from Les Portiers De Paris 1856

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, titled “- It's useless to show you my apartment. We are not renting out to mothers with children,” as part of his series "Les Portiers De Paris." Daumier lived in a Paris undergoing massive social and economic changes. As industrialization transformed urban life, class distinctions became increasingly stark. Daumier, a Republican, was acutely aware of these inequalities, using his art to critique the bourgeoisie. Here, we see a concierge blocking a woman and her child, his words dripping with disdain as he denies them housing. Daumier masterfully captures the era's prejudice against single mothers and children, laying bare the cold realities of urban poverty. The image reveals an emotional landscape of rejection and despair, reflecting Daumier’s profound empathy for the marginalized. He compels us to confront the social barriers erected against those most in need.