Major Excursion Train 1864

Editor: This is "Major Excursion Train" by Honoré Daumier. The figures are rushing, it looks like a crowd of people. They seem to be ordinary people, pushing and shoving, maybe heading towards the train. What strikes you about the social commentary in this image? Curator: Daumier's lithographs often skewered Parisian society. Consider the context: the burgeoning middle class, increased leisure, and the novelty of train travel. This print highlights the chaotic scramble for pleasure, suggesting a critique of mass tourism's effects on social behavior. What do you think Daumier is implying about the "pleasures" of this excursion? Editor: Perhaps it's not so pleasurable with all the frantic energy. I guess I was looking for something a little more heroic but I see a different side now. Curator: Exactly. The print challenges the romantic ideal of travel, revealing the anxieties and social pressures beneath the surface. Daumier used his art to reflect, and critique, the everyday realities of his time, offering a glimpse into the evolving social landscape of 19th-century France.