Washerwomen
Medium
color softground etching and aquatint with etching
Dimensions
image: 38 × 21.5 cm · sheet: 45.9 × 25.5 cm
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Prasse Collection
Accession Number
1955.451
Tags
About this artwork
Here, Auguste Lepère presented a pair of laundresses ascending steps from a wash boat on the Seine River, where they could pay to clean the loads they had collected. A receptacle for various types of waste, the river was a source of public concern for the unsanitary environment in which laundry was done. Lepère evoked these difficult working conditions by juxtaposing a youthful laundress with one who has spent time in the industry. The figures’ mirrored poses and their contrasting bold and muted...