Man and Wife Seated by the Road with a Basket(Homme et femme assis au bord de la rou te aven un panier) 

Alphonse Legros created this etching, titled "Man and Wife Seated by the Road with a Basket," portraying a moment of respite for a working-class couple. Legros, living in France during a period of significant social and political change, often depicted scenes of rural life and the struggles of the working class. The image offers us a view into the life of the working class, depicting a woman in a headscarf, head bowed in exhaustion, sitting beside a man with his face buried in his hands, a basket at their feet suggesting they're on a journey or break from labor. Their posture and placement evoke a sense of weariness and despondency, speaking to the difficult lives of the rural poor. Legros challenges romanticized notions of rural life by highlighting the physical and emotional toll of poverty. "Man and Wife Seated by the Road with a Basket" serves as a poignant reflection on the disparities of 19th-century French society.