Brustbild eines Betteljungen mit breitkrempigem Hut 

This is Gottlieb Welté's sketch of a beggar boy with a wide-brimmed hat, made sometime before 1790. Welté was working in an era of emerging social consciousness. The Enlightenment's focus on reason and individual rights led to increased awareness of social inequalities and the lives of the less fortunate. Welté offers us a glimpse into the life of a child marked by poverty, yet he avoids the tropes of misery. Instead, we see a moment of warmth and humanity. The boy's coy smile challenges the traditional representations of the poor. The sketch invites us to reflect on the intersections of childhood, poverty, and representation. How does it feel to see the humanity of someone who is living in such circumstances? This drawing encourages us to confront our own perceptions of the marginalized and to consider the social structures that create and perpetuate inequality.