A night street scene shows two young ladies of the night (prostitutes)
in conversation with their shadowy pimp. He asks, "What's the
matter with you Millie?" She replies, 'Oh, I think perhaps if
I'd stayed a washerwoman I might be Queen about now!" The coaches
and coachmen quietly wait in the background.
"The years around the turn of the century in Paris were the
great periods of the 'artist-reporter' those painters who found
their inspiration in the events of every-day life. One of the very
greatest of these was Steinlen. With an eye for movement and gesture,
with the ability to translate the scenes of the cafes, bars and
street corners into pictorial composition, in his drawings he created
a pattern of expressive shape, swift shading and telling details
of facial expression which is redolent with the whole atmosphere
of the period... During the 1880's his frequent illustrations for
'Le Rire' and 'Gil Blas' made
him amongst the best known artists of his generation. Much of his
strength and effectiveness of his work derives from the fact that,
like Daumier, he was able to combine a clear sense of style with
humour and social understanding " (Weston
No.5 1984, 28)
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