La Vigne Rouge 

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen made this sketch of an unidentified man, perhaps in France, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Here we see the concerns for the lives of everyday people that characterized much of his work. Steinlen was an artist deeply engaged with the politics of his time. He was committed to social justice, and much of his art engaged with progressive movements in France. He made many illustrations for socialist and anarchist journals. This drawing is a more intimate study, but it reflects the artist's social concerns: in the figure’s world-weary gaze, we see the hard lives led by ordinary people. The historian seeks to situate the artwork in its world. With more research, we could determine who this man was and what the circumstances of his life might have been. Understanding the social context helps us to understand the image better.