“- I want to go on this ship with you at once, Papa, my nanny said that the deluge will come again, and the only ones who will be saved, will be the animals on the ark of Mr. Leviathan!,” plate 484 from Actualités 1858

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph, plate 484 from Actualités, using stone, grease, and ink, to create a medium that was accessible and reproducible. The rough, textured lines – achieved by drawing on a lithographic stone – speak to the rapid, industrial process of printmaking, a technology that democratized art while also responding to the growing anxieties of modern life. The soft, almost smudged quality lends a dreamlike, apocalyptic atmosphere to the scene. We see a child, dwarfed by his father, pointing to the sky where a zeppelin looms over the city. The urgency in the child's gesture, combined with the visual weight of the father's figure, adds to the emotional impact. Daumier masterfully captures the essence of a society grappling with technological advancement and social change. His work reminds us that the value and meaning of art extends beyond the finished product, and includes an understanding of the techniques, materials, and social context.