L’Avocat Parlant au prevenu 

Jean-Louis Forain created this print, titled L’Avocat Parlant au prevenu, with etching. Forain was a painter, printmaker, and caricaturist, known for his depictions of Parisian life, especially those of the courtroom. This etching provides a glimpse into the grim realities of late 19th-century Parisian judicial proceedings. We see a lawyer in his formal robes leaning in to speak with his client, who is seated with a child, likely her own. Forain’s focus on the woman draws our attention to the gendered and classed dimensions of justice, and emphasizes the vulnerability of those caught in its cogs. There's an emotional weight to the scene; the figures are weary. The lawyer is a looming presence, his words perhaps the only lifeline for the mother and child. Forain invites us to consider the human stories behind legal proceedings, the lives disrupted, and the families impacted by the wheels of justice.