La femme. Je viens de découvrir une mèche... c. 19th century

This image is an undated lithograph by Honoré Daumier, a French printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor, whose work offers commentary on social and political life in 19th-century France. In this piece, which translates to "Conjugal Manners," Daumier turns his critical eye toward domestic life, highlighting the tensions within marriage. The wife confronts her husband, holding out a strand of hair she found on his vest. His flustered response references his “collecting of curiosities” that he bought at auction and claims, “it comes from Cleopatra!” Daumier captures the power dynamics inherent in gender roles of his time, in which men possessed greater social and economic power and women had little recourse against male infidelity. Through caricature, Daumier critiques the societal norms that allowed such imbalances to persist, inviting viewers to consider the emotional toll of these power dynamics on both men and women. Though this lithograph depicts a specific time, it evokes questions that continue to resonate about identity, fidelity, and societal expectations in modern relationships.