Jonge boerin, van voren gezien, met opgeschorte rokken 1685

Sébastien Leclerc I made this print of a young peasant woman in the late 17th or early 18th century. It presents an idealised and romanticised view of rural life. Let's consider the social and cultural context in which this image was made. France at this time was a highly stratified society, with a clear divide between the urban elite and the rural peasantry. Images such as this one played a role in constructing and reinforcing those social divisions. The woman is shown in a somewhat theatrical pose, with her skirts hitched up and her gaze averted. It is possible that the image was made for an urban audience who viewed the peasantry as a quaint or picturesque curiosity, something that was happening increasingly at this time. To fully understand this image, a social historian might investigate the print market in France at this time. Who was buying these images, and what did they represent to them? What was life actually like for peasant women in this period? These are the kinds of questions that help us to understand the role of art within a broader social and institutional context.