Emigration c. 19th century

Honoré Daumier made this lithograph, titled "Emigration," using a waxy crayon on a smooth slab of limestone. This printmaking process allowed him to create multiple impressions from a single drawing. The image shows a mass of dog-like figures trudging toward a signpost marked "Frontière," or "Border." Daumier's choice of lithography is significant; it's a relatively quick and reproducible technique, ideally suited to political satire, because it allowed him to respond rapidly to current events, and disseminate his commentary widely. The drawing captures a sense of weary determination, of the need to move on, driven by forces beyond the control of those displaced. Daumier made many such images commenting on French society in his day. By using a process that democratized art production, he brought the realities of labor, politics, and consumption directly to the people, blurring the lines between fine art and social critique.