A Woman Gathering Faggots at Ville-d’Avray c. 1871 - 1874

Camille Corot’s “A Woman Gathering Faggots at Ville-d’Avray” presents a scene of rural labor, likely from sometime in the mid-19th century in France. The image creates meaning through its portrayal of a woman, presumably of the peasant class, engaged in the act of collecting firewood. Consider how geographic factors, like the forests surrounding Ville-d’Avray, and economic structures, which necessitated such labor for survival, might have influenced Corot. His focus on a commoner is a telling choice in a period of significant social change. Is this a political statement, or simply an acceptance of the realities of French life? Historians examine such works through various lenses. Archival research into the economic conditions of the time and place might reveal much about the social conditions that shaped this image. Ultimately, the meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.