"It's strange... the stock exchange has not recovered..." 1858

Curator: This lithograph, by Honoré Daumier, is titled "It's strange... the stock exchange has not recovered..." and it's located at the Harvard Art Museums. The scene depicts two men in conversation, set against a Parisian backdrop. Editor: My first thought? It's a snapshot of perpetual worry, that universal unease about money, rendered with such expressive lines. I feel their anxiety! Curator: Note how the artist, Daumier, uses the body language to communicate shared anxieties. The figures appear stiff, their gestures almost theatrical. Editor: Yes! They're like caricatures of concern, aren't they? But it makes me think, how many generations have had this same conversation? Same fears in different hats. Curator: Daumier captured a timeless sentiment, didn't he? Economic uncertainty as a shared human experience. Editor: Exactly. And looking at this now, I can see that even in a different context, Daumier’s drawing still resonates with our modern anxieties. Curator: A poignant reminder of the cyclic nature of economic anxiety. Editor: Ultimately, it is a fascinating and unsettling mirror.