A Seizure c. 1891

Jean-Louis Forain made this drawing, "A Seizure," in France, using pencil, ink, and charcoal. The image shows a man, who seems to be a member of the bourgeoisie, with a sex worker. Forain was part of a generation of artists who scrutinized the dark underbelly of modern life. He worked during the French Third Republic. The social, political, and economic reforms of the period were accompanied by high levels of corruption and class inequality. Forain worked as a printmaker. This meant that his images could be widely circulated in newspapers and journals. The image comments on this social context, using caricature to highlight the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie and the exploitation of sex workers. Historians interested in the relationship between art and social life turn to sources such as newspapers, journals, police records, and personal letters to provide a richer understanding of how an artwork like this one engaged with the social realities of its time.