-Look there...what is that? -One has to believe that it is an effigy put there to scare the monks...covering the expenses of these Parisians..., as if they won't be able to put old breeches at the end of a baton, like I do at home. 1859

Curator: Look at this lithograph by Honoré Daumier, currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. The title is a phrase from the image’s text: "-Look there...what is that? -One has to believe that it is an effigy put there to scare the monks...covering the expenses of these Parisians..., as if they won't be able to put old breeches at the end of a baton, like I do at home." Editor: It's biting, isn't it? I see the directness in line that typifies Daumier, but also this remarkable focus on the social types that are present. The figures here are sketched with such a furious energy... Curator: It’s a clever commentary on societal extravagance, particularly as it pertains to religious institutions. The print medium itself is crucial—Daumier's work reached a broad audience. Editor: Absolutely, this wasn't some rarefied oil painting for a wealthy patron. This print, made through lithography, speaks to the means of production and consumption of images in 19th-century France. Curator: Yes, Daumier was always interested in making political commentary through accessible imagery. Editor: And that directness, that raw line, emphasizes the immediacy of its social critique. We're seeing labor and social commentary, all bundled together.