The Orphan (c. 1885) by August Friedrich Schenck is a haunting portrayal of grief and vulnerability, seen through the eyes of a lamb left alone beside the lifeless body of its mother. Set against a cold, desolate landscape, the painting evokes an atmosphere of sorrow and abandonment. The lamb’s small, open mouth suggests a faint bleat—perhaps a cry for help—while a flock of black crows looms nearby, adding a sense of impending threat. A single streak of blood stains the snow, the only vivid color in an otherwise muted palette. Like Schenck’s earlier work Anguish, this painting is not merely a depiction of animals but a powerful metaphor for human loss. At a time when society was steeped in mourning and beginning to acknowledge the emotional lives of animals, The Orphan resonated deeply. It reflects the helplessness of those left behind and captures the universal pain of being alone in the face of death.