A Beggar Girl Selling Flowers to a Woman 

Jean-Louis Forain made this sketch, “A Beggar Girl Selling Flowers to a Woman,” on paper with graphite and gray wash, offering us a glimpse into Parisian street life during the late 19th or early 20th century. Forain, known for his poignant depictions of urban life, captures a stark social contrast. We see a young, impoverished girl, a child laborer, attempting to sell flowers to a woman of presumably higher social standing. The woman, adorned with a lavish hat, examines a bank note, possibly contemplating the transaction. Forain uses his skills as a caricaturist here to create a social critique. The sketch captures a transaction but implies so much more. It brings to mind questions about the nature of charity and questions of value. It invites us to consider our own roles in the economic disparities that still permeate society.