Si tu veux, je t'achète deux cents billes ... c. 19th century

Editor: This lithograph, dating back to the 19th century, is by Honoré Daumier, titled "Si tu veux, je t'achète deux cents billes…". There’s a wonderfully raw quality to the sketch-like lines, and I'm immediately drawn into the characters and the tension of what seems to be a transaction taking place. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, the audacity! The scene's arranged with Daumier's keen sense of theatricality, almost a stage tableau. Aren't they delightful little street urchins? Notice the expressions— the pointed fingers, the cocky stances… Daumier really captures a specific brand of Parisian cheek. Editor: Right, the way their body language practically shouts their individual roles! Curator: Exactly! The humour dances in those economical lines. Daumier, you see, used lithography like a weapon – a gentle one, but a weapon nonetheless. Editor: A weapon? Curator: Yes! Daumier was aiming it directly at the bourgeoisie, with a smile and a pointed wit. Here, in the subtext of children bickering, one senses larger societal critiques bubbling beneath the surface, and if that's a poster, I wonder how much 'prime' the youngsters will make out of the shares... So, it almost feels as though Daumier winks at the audience; a bit ironic. How do you find the caricature element? Editor: Ah, I see! Their exaggerated features definitely emphasize the cartoonish effect, pointing up their almost allegorical roles. Thinking about the poster, the size of those stock prices feels very pertinent now. It certainly deepens my sense of unease behind what I first perceived as simple mischief! Thanks! Curator: And there we are— a window into 19th-century Paris, brought to life through the squabbles of youth, through the ages to comment to us all about how sometimes the price can always seem cheap. It just needs a bit of gentle probing, as you masterfully exemplified.