Frontispiece: The Dregs of Society (Les bas-fonds de la societe)

Félicien Rops

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of various allegorical scenes and figures sketched around a central theme. The full-description of the image shows a large book-like structure in the center with the text "Bas les Masques de la Societe, par Joseph Prudhomme Photographe a Paris." A jester leans on the book next to a theatrical mask. Other vignettes surround the central figure, depicting a range of activities or interactions. In the foreground, there is a figure on a pedestal labeled "Verite" (Truth), with birds flying nearby.