"So then, dear colleagues..." 1845

Curator: This is Honoré Daumier's "So then, dear colleagues...", a print held at the Harvard Art Museums. Look at these figures! Editor: They seem agitated, embroiled in some fierce, hushed argument. The tight composition amplifies the tension. Curator: Daumier often critiqued the legal system, portraying lawyers not as arbiters of justice, but as participants in a corrupt process. Editor: Note the robes, symbols of authority, yet they appear rumpled, almost grotesque in Daumier's rendering. The lawyers, therefore, are symbols of the corrupt justice system. Curator: Indeed, Daumier’s lithographic process, churning out prints for mass consumption, made this critique widely accessible. His skill at capturing social injustice with such immediacy is amazing. Editor: This piece, as a lasting image, is a reminder that symbols can be twisted, co-opted, or satirized to undermine the power structures they represent. Curator: Well said! It makes you think about what materials and processes lend themselves to certain critiques. Editor: Definitely something to ponder as we move on.