The artwork titled “‘Pomp’ at the Zoo” was created by Henry Ossawa Tanner in 1880. It belongs to the Realism art movement and is classified under the genre painting category. This piece is a representation of everyday life, typical of genre paintings, providing a glimpse into a common scene during Tanner’s time.
The artwork depicts a group of people, including adults and children, standing before a lion’s cage at the zoo. The title indicates a sense of spectacle and fascination experienced by the onlookers, as they engage with the majestic animal housed behind iron bars. The painting captures the varied reactions and interactions among the visitors, with particular attention to their attire and posture, which collectively evoke a vivid sense of the era’s social and cultural norms. The lion, confined within the cage, exudes a powerful presence, drawing the spectators’ undivided attention. Tanner’s use of lighting and shadow further enhances the realistic portrayal of this moment, grounding it in the tangible reality of 19th-century urban life.
