Murillo was inspired to create a series of genre paintings featuring orphaned children living on the streets of Seville as a result of poor management in seventeenth-century Spain.

[2] Murillo's paintings of poor class citizens and low-life youths were also influenced by the popularity of Spanish picaresque literature of the time as well.

[3] Works by novelist Miguel de Cervantès, who was known for depicting stories of roguish heroes and foolish knights, were an enormous inspiration for Murillo.

[3] The Young Beggar is unlike Murillo's earlier works, which followed the style of his teacher Jorge Castillo and artists like Francisco de Zurbarán and Alonzo Cano.

[2] The boy has been compared to a horse named Rocinante from the picaresque novel, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantès, who had an odd personality and took on overbearing tasks.

[8] Murillo was criticized for being too focused on creating an idealized urchin, which did not truly reflect the harsh realities of Spanish poverty in Seville.

However, this criticism was later disputed as subsequent interpretations viewed this as a virtue of the work; because the young boy in the painting was not affected by his poor condition, it was what made him appealing.

[7] Murillo's paintings of street urchins and begging children became popular towards the end of the Baroque period and were sold to private collectors in the cities of Antwerp, Rotterdam, and London.

[7] The Young Beggar was among Murillo's most popular pieces and was bought by a dealer named Lebrun, which was then given to Louis XVI for his royal collection.