Begging for Apples 1898

William Holbrook Beard painted "Begging for Apples" in 1896. The anthropomorphic animals that populate his paintings often offer satirical commentary on human behaviour and social hierarchies. Here, we see a monkey dressed in a red jacket, begging for apples from a bear, while a lounging cat-like creature looks on. The monkey’s chain and humble posture suggest servitude, contrasting sharply with the upright, almost regal stance of the bear, who holds an apple casually. In the late 19th century United States, class divisions were deepening, with the rise of industrial capitalism leading to vast disparities in wealth and power. Beard, through his animal allegory, critiques this social order. Who does the monkey represent? The working class? A particular ethnic group? And what about the bear? Through careful research into the social and institutional context of this painting, we can start to unpack Beard's commentary on the social structures of his time.