L'Adoption - Ah ça! Robert, mon ami... 1841

This lithograph, by Honoré Daumier, satirizes French society through the character of Robert Macaire, a con man. Daumier, working in 19th-century France, was deeply critical of the bourgeoisie and their social climbing. The print shows Macaire with another man and a young girl, likely an orphan. It critiques the performative adoption practices of the wealthy. Macaire’s words, "I adopted this child, I want to taste the happiness of being married to a pupil," reveal the exploitative nature of his supposed benevolence. Daumier uses Macaire to expose how the upper class often used charity and adoption as a means of self-aggrandizement, rather than genuine acts of kindness. Through this satirical lens, Daumier invites us to reflect on the disparities in wealth and power, questioning the true motives behind acts of charity and adoption. This print compels us to consider the ongoing complexities of class, gender, and the performance of virtue in society.