An Unpleasant Aspect of the New Type of Omnibus, plate 13 from Croquis Parisiens 1856

This lithograph by Honoré Daumier, titled 'An Unpleasant Aspect of the New Type of Omnibus,' captures a chaotic scene of urban life in Paris. Dominating the composition, we see a man struggling to board an omnibus, inadvertently stepping on a woman below. The symbols of urban modernity—the omnibus itself—becomes a stage for the timeless drama of human struggle and indignity. This tableau evokes classical motifs of dominance and submission, reminiscent of ancient depictions of conquest or sacrifice. The raised foot, poised above the victim, echoes images of power found in religious iconography across cultures, from the foot of Buddha symbolizing detachment to the crushing foot in depictions of Saint George slaying the dragon. Daumier cleverly inverts these symbols, exposing the absurdity and cruelty of modern life. The woman’s distressed face, a mask of surprise and pain, connects to the visual language of suffering, a universal theme present in art from antiquity to the present day. The image serves as a reminder of how symbols of power and suffering persist, evolving yet echoing through time. They resurface in new contexts, carrying traces of past meanings while acquiring new resonance, engaging our collective memory on a deep, subconscious level.