Too Late! Possibly 1862 - 1920

This lithograph, "Too Late!", by Charles Maurand, presents a scene rendered in stark contrasts of black ink on a white ground, immediately drawing the eye to its dynamic composition. The image features a man and woman, along with a small child, seemingly rushing across a flat, barren landscape. Their figures are etched with fine, frantic lines that convey a sense of urgency, a race against the clock. The artist employs a limited tonal range, relying on dense hatching to sculpt forms and evoke texture, particularly in the billowing garments of the woman and child. The man's posture, with his coat flying open and hat in hand, suggests a desperate plea for haste. The flat perspective and minimal background detail focus our attention on the figures and the train. Maurand invites us to consider the semiotic interplay between progress and human struggle, where the forward march of technology may leave some behind. The work destabilizes the idea of progress as uniformly positive, suggesting instead, a scenario of loss and exclusion.