Straatgezicht met groep bedelaars 1874

This print, created by Léonce Petit, captures the essence of social gatherings and street life. The lower image, titled "Les Mariés Parisiens" or "The Parisian Wedding", has a procession marked by beggars and social disparity. Here, the motif of the beggar is a symbol of a troubled conscience or guilt. The beggar appears in varied forms, from the suffering mendicant to the mocking fool. Consider the recurring presence of such figures in art history, as far back as the medieval period in Northern Europe. Beggars reflect the subconscious fears of poverty and social breakdown, recurring as emblems of human suffering. This archetype touches on deep-seated anxieties about social order, revealing a collective memory of vulnerability. The appearance of the beggar serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of human experience, where suffering and disparity continually resurface in new contexts.