T'as pas un megot-vicomte 1891

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this drawing, whose title translates as "Got a cigarette butt, viscount?" sometime around the turn of the 20th century. It encapsulates many of the pressing social issues of the time in France. Here we see two men of very different classes. One is lying in the dirt, in a state of abject poverty. The other is more upright, but still dressed in the humble garb of a working man. The title of the image indicates that the reclining man is asking the other, whom he addresses ironically as "viscount", for the stub of a cigarette. The drawing speaks to the vast gulf between the wealthy elite and the working class in France at the time. It questions the value system that would allow some to live in luxury while others are forced to scavenge for meager comforts. To understand the social impact of this image, we can look to archives of period publications and the history of French social movements.