Caricature of a Man with a Snuff Box

This signed sheet by the young Monet, then known as Oscar, is one of several caricatures he made to earn a living at the outset of his career. Employing his favored format of a large head on a tiny body, supported by even smaller legs and feet, Monet juxtaposes the giant nostrils with the snuff and the handkerchief in the man’s pocket—humorously prefiguring the enormous sneeze that will probably occur following its inhalation.