Plate Five from Misery 1851

"Plate Five from Misery" is a lithograph by Charles Rambert created in 1851. The artwork depicts a man in chains sitting on a stone block in a prison cell, his head bowed in despair. A shadowy figure stands behind him, representing the weight of his guilt or the inescapable burden of his situation. The lithograph is a powerful commentary on the suffering and injustice of imprisonment, highlighting the psychological torment experienced by those confined. The composition is stark and dramatic, with the use of shadow and light emphasizing the prisoner's isolation and vulnerability. This work is a powerful example of the social realism movement, which sought to depict the lives of the working class and the poor in a realistic and unflinching manner. This artwork is now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.