"It has been very wrong to take from our poets the classic muzzle" from Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals 1832 - 1852

This lithograph by J.J. Grandville, titled "It has been very wrong to take from our poets the classic muzzle," is a satirical image from his series *Scenes from the Private and Public Life of Animals* (1832-1852). Grandville was known for his fantastical and often darkly humorous animal caricatures, which he used to comment on human society. This particular illustration depicts a poet, dressed in the fashion of the day, being led by a donkey carrying a stack of manuscripts while a small, pig-like creature sits on a chair, seemingly criticizing the poet's work. The image satirizes the constraints placed on artistic expression, suggesting that even animals are better equipped to create freely.