La Bouchée de pain : trois jeunes hommes de profil

La Bouchée de pain: trois jeunes hommes de profil is another of Pelez's Petit Palais preparatory studies for his 1904 Salon submission. Three young men seen in profile represent a different social register from the elderly and infirm figures in other studies — younger men fallen on hard times or living precariously in the expanding industrial city. Pelez's series as a whole constructs a typology of Parisian poverty: the aged, the young, the physically disabled, the merely destitute. His work belongs to the tradition of French social realism that runs from Courbet through Daumier.

The profile arrangement of three figures creates a frieze-like composition, allowing comparison of physiognomy and bearing. Paint handling is straightforward and descriptive. The cool, neutral palette reflects the grey world of poverty Pelez documented throughout his career.