Widow Bird, from The Comic Natural History of the Human Race 1851

"Widow Bird" is a satirical hand-colored lithograph by British artist Henry Louis Stephens, part of his series *The Comic Natural History of the Human Race*. The artwork depicts a woman wearing a widow's cap, transformed into a bird, perched on a branch over a nest with a smaller version of herself, suggesting a commentary on the societal expectations placed upon women in mourning. The humor and social critique of Stephens's work made it popular in the mid-19th century. This lithograph, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captures the essence of the series with its intricate details and whimsical portrayal of human nature.