Manet's Subject Matter and a Source of Popular Imagery

Aging and Urban Refuse in Édouard Manet’s The Ragpicker

“…Velázquez's influence is also apparent in the way in which Manet placed objects on the ground next to the figures. [4] Other interpretations suggest that The Ragpicker can be read as a critical observation regarding the French government's failure in handling social problems and poverty during the Second Empire. [5] Yet this painting shows no sign of the dramatic gestures usually associated with poverty and misery, such as agony or despair, nor is there any kind of a narrative that would be required for such a purpose.…”