“The Widow at a Consultation,” created by Honoré Daumier circa 1846, is a lithographic artwork that falls under the Realism movement and the genre painting category. This piece is part of the “Les Gens de justice” series and is currently housed at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) in Paris, France.
The artwork portrays a scene of a legal consultation between a widow and a legal advisor. The setting is the legal advisor’s library, as suggested by the shelves filled with law books in the background. The widow, dressed in mourning attire, sits solemnly yet expressively, conveying her distress and seeking counsel. The legal advisor, leaning back in his chair, assumes a more casual demeanor, indicating a possibly paternal or authoritative role in the interaction. The detailed lithography emphasizes the contrasting emotional states of the characters and offers a poignant insight into the social dynamics and legal proceedings of the era.
