The Little Girl 1861 - 1862

Edouard Manet’s etching, “The Little Girl,” captures a mother carrying a child on her back, a tender image rendered with stark lines. This motif echoes across cultures, embodying nurture and burden. The mother-child bond is an archetypal representation of care that stretches back to ancient Egyptian depictions of Isis with Horus. But here, the child is on the mother’s back; this positioning speaks to a universal connection to the Madonna of Humility, often depicted in this intimate pose. Such images trigger a deep, subconscious recognition. This symbol resonates across time, echoing in the works of artists who, consciously or not, tap into this shared visual language. The pose has metamorphosed from religious icon to secular emblem, proving that symbols, like memories, persist, evolve, and resurface.