"Let's go...let's go, little one, who says he has a tummy-ache!" 1847

Curator: This lithograph by Honoré Daumier, titled "Let's go...let's go, little one, who says he has a tummy-ache!", strikes me as quite poignant. The stark contrasts and hurried lines convey a sense of urgency. Editor: Indeed. The subject matter is really intriguing. Daumier was masterful at depicting the material realities of 19th-century French society, like the burdens and daily dramas of family life for these bourgeois figures. Curator: Precisely! The father's attire versus the implied ailment of the child presents a fascinating material contradiction, doesn't it? How does societal expectation weigh against individual suffering? Editor: It's fascinating how Daumier uses the relatively new medium of lithography to capture and comment on social behaviors and class structures. He's really using art as a mirror to the politics of everyday life. Curator: I find that exploration of societal pressures within the domestic sphere so very relevant, even now. Editor: Yes, it leaves you contemplating who has the real “tummy-ache” in this scenario.