A posthumous tribute painted shortly after the death of influential anarchist philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, a close friend and intellectual mentor to Courbet. Depicting Proudhon retroactively in 1853 (following his prison release), Courbet shows the theorist clad in a humble artisan's blouse, surrounded by manuscript books and his daughters at play. The canvas serves as a manifesto of Realist political theory, de-aristocratizing intellectual labor and recasting the philosopher as a grounded, working-class thinker. Courbet originally included Proudhon's wife on the right, but later repainted her section to emphasize the domestic nurturing of the next generation.