A poorly dressed man is asking for the time while holding a long stick. In this series Daumier describes the various emotional reactions of his fellow citizens when faced with precarious situations… the doorman, who when peeking through a keyhole, sees his wife being embraced by one of his tenants, the old gentleman remembering with wistfulness his conquests of long ago, when seeing some models in a window decoration, but most touching, the father from the provinces who purposely is not being recognized by his “established ” son when visiting the city. Daumier succeeds to show the bourgeoisie with humour but also with that certain touch of bitterness and at the same time endeavours to help us understand how much we are all fighting to climb up the social ladder, while often forgetting our roots and damaging our own self-esteem as well as that of our surrounding.
Copyright restrictions may apply. For permission to copy or use this image, contact the Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections Department, Brandeis University Libraries. The following credit line must be included with each item used: Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman Collection of Honoré Daumier Lithographs, Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University.
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Place of origin:
Paris
Notes:
2nd state.
Published in: Le Charivari, November 24, 1839.
Notes (acquisition):
Donated by: Benjamin A. and Julia M. Trustman, 1959.
