La Ville Lointaine 

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this etching, La Ville Lointaine, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts a family of refugees encountering an itinerant worker. Steinlen was a Swiss-born French artist deeply engaged with social issues. He often contributed illustrations to socialist and anarchist journals. In this print, the figures' clothing and postures convey hardship. The distant city, the "ville lointaine" of the title, represents a destination and a hope, but also emphasizes their displacement. Consider the context of rapid industrialization and urbanization in France at this time. Many rural people migrated to cities in search of work, often facing poverty and discrimination. Steinlen's image reflects this social reality, critiquing the economic forces that uprooted families and created a class of marginalized workers. To understand this artwork further, look to period sources like newspapers, political pamphlets, and sociological studies of urban poverty. Steinlen's art invites us to reflect on the human cost of progress and the social role of art.