In Gawkers (Princeton University Press), Alsdorf focuses on the representation of badauds – curious figures who are passive and often idling on the margins — in the work of artists and writers in the late 19th century in Paris. Artist works include those of Félix Vallotton, Pierre Bonnard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Honoré Daumier. By examining various artistic projects where badaus are present, Alsdorf analyzes the significance and symbolism of these figures in relation to emerging social and aesthetic problems.
