Two Studies of a Seated Peasant Woman (recto); Study of a Young Girl Wearing a Hat (verso)
c. 1869
Medium
Charcoal (recto), and black chalk (verso), on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
20 × 17.6 cm (7 7/8 × 6 15/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
113462
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Millet, a leading figure in the Realist movement and the Barbizon school, captured the dignity of rural French peasant life in his works. Created around 1869, *Two Studies of a Seated Peasant Woman* (recto) and *Study of a Young Girl Wearing a Hat* (verso) exemplifies his intimate focus on everyday subjects. On the front, two charcoal sketches portray a seated peasant woman in quiet repose, her posture conveying the quiet resilience of rural labor. Flipped over, a delicate black chalk study of a young girl in a hat reveals Millet's tender observation of youth. These double-sided...