Bătrân (The Old Man)

Constantin Jiquidi's pen-and-ink sketch depicts an elderly man in tattered clothing and worn hat, hunched and weary. The figure shows poverty and decay through exaggerated features—sunken face, ragged coat, patched trousers. This work extends the European caricature tradition established by Gillray and Daumier, using physiognomy to suggest social condition. The loose, expressive line work and watercolor wash reflect the printmaking methods that influenced satirical journalism across 19th-century Europe. The sketch exemplifies how caricature evolved from crude propaganda into a vehicle for social observation—a tradition that would shape early comic art.