“- My graft of a cherry slip on an apricot tree really didn't take.... strange, ... after all, I followed exactly the instructions in the 'Manual of Useful Knowledge,'” plate 7 from Pastorales 1845

Curator: Ah, a garden scene tinged with disappointment, wouldn’t you say? Editor: It does feel like a little comedy of errors, doesn't it? This lithograph, dating from 1845, comes to us from Honoré Daumier, titled " - My graft of a cherry slip on an apricot tree really didn't take.... strange, ... after all, I followed exactly the instructions in the 'Manual of Useful Knowledge,'” plate 7 from Pastorales." Curator: Daumier’s attention to the social structures influencing individual action, here, is striking; a focus on manuals and the structures of self-help which became prevalent with burgeoning bourgeois society. His art always addresses how individuals are positioned in and impacted by social forces and prevailing narratives. Editor: Exactly! He catches the universal struggle against life’s little setbacks. You almost feel sorry for the chap peering at the graft. Though there's an endearing absurdity in his dedication to the "Manual of Useful Knowledge." Curator: There’s commentary, I believe, on the supposed meritocracy promised by these self-help guides. Daumier seems to suggest the inadequacy of mere instruction when up against material limitations, societal norms or… simply… nature. Editor: He presents the everyday absurdities in which rules do not work and nature does its own thing. Also, the image captures such tenderness— the woman looks concerned and, also, ever-so-slightly condescending. I mean, did he really think that graft would work?! Curator: I read the woman’s stance as an echo of larger societal issues. Think of the roles often assigned based on gender and class. She appears to represent those left behind by promises of upward mobility; their own realities a direct response to these often empty directives. Editor: Beautifully put. What looks like a lighthearted print transforms under your analysis into a really profound social commentary. Daumier knew how to squeeze juice from daily life; his social critiques dressed up as observational jokes make us examine our relationship to societal narratives. Curator: Indeed, Daumier holds a mirror to a society grappling with modernity and questions the accessibility of so-called "useful knowledge" to those facing very tangible obstacles. Editor: It makes you wonder about all the 'manuals of useful knowledge' we swear by today and whether future generations will find similar humour— and, perhaps, social critique—in our own obsessions.