Study of a Beggar 

Alphonse Legros rendered this red chalk drawing, titled *Study of a Beggar,* sometime in the 19th century. Notice the downcast gaze and the flowing beard. These features evoke a sense of patriarchal dignity reduced to destitution. It calls to mind images of prophets or ancient philosophers brought low, figures who, despite their wisdom, find themselves in a state of abject poverty. The motif of the 'wise beggar' has a long and winding genealogy. Consider how it appears in Renaissance depictions of Diogenes, the philosopher who rejected material wealth. In those images, as in this drawing, the unkempt beard becomes a symbol of both wisdom and social alienation. This same symbol resurfaces in Romantic portrayals of wandering poets and artists, figures who embraced poverty as a mark of spiritual authenticity. The image invites us to reflect on our collective anxieties surrounding social status. It is a reminder that the line between respectability and marginalization is often precariously thin.