Out of the Shadows 

Eugene Higgins created this etching titled "Out of the Shadows." Higgins's focus was primarily on the lives of the working class. He rendered subjects ranging from immigrants to the unemployed with a deep sense of empathy. This aesthetic approach can be placed within the context of early 20th-century social reform movements, where art became a vehicle for social commentary and advocacy. Here, a figure emerges from darkness, their form and face obscured by shadow, a visual metaphor for marginalization. The city lights in the background hint at the promise of urban life, yet the foreground emphasizes exclusion and anonymity. Higgins doesn’t shy away from depicting the gritty realities of poverty; the emotional weight of isolation is palpable. "Out of the Shadows" invites us to contemplate the human cost of social inequality and the artist’s role in bringing these issues to light.