Portrait of an Old Man 

Alphonse Legros made this drawing, Portrait of an Old Man, using graphite on paper. Legros was a French artist who became a naturalized British citizen, teaching at the Slade School of Fine Art in London for many years. This portrait offers a window into the artistic conventions and social values of late 19th-century Europe. At the time, art academies and institutions played a crucial role in shaping artistic taste and legitimizing certain subjects. Portraiture, in particular, was associated with status and power. Legros's choice to depict an "old man" aligns with a broader artistic interest in portraying different social types. The man's upward gaze suggests a kind of social and spiritual yearning. Understanding the social context of this drawing requires looking into the history of art education, the market for portraiture, and the broader cultural fascination with physiognomy. Such research can reveal the complex ways in which art reflects and reinforces social norms.