Study for Les Jeunes Filles et la Mort (Death and the Maidens), c. 1872, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French, 1824 - 1898, 31 3/8 x 16 3/8 in. (79.69 x 41.59 cm) (image), Graphite on linen, laid down on paper, wrapped around board, France, 19th century, This drawing depicts two figure studies for 'Les Jeunes Filles et la Mort (The Young Maidens and Death),' a painting rejected from the Salon of 1872. In the painting, two groups of girls, one pair dancing in th background, the other standing pensively in the foreground, seem to be ignorant of the grim reaper lurking on the left side of the composition. The recent Franco-Prussian War inspired many late 19th century French painters to examine themes about the transience of life.