A Cottage with Two Men Seated at the Doorway c. 1770

This etching, "A Cottage with Two Men Seated at the Doorway," was made by Nicolas Pérignon sometime in the 18th century. It presents an idealized, perhaps romanticized, vision of rural life. Made in France, this image comes from a time when notions of the pastoral, and of country life as a space of purity and simplicity, were gaining traction amongst the urban elite. The image creates meaning through its composition, inviting viewers to appreciate the charm of what they might have thought of as a simpler existence. We can see the influence of social and philosophical ideas of the time, particularly those popularized by thinkers like Rousseau. For historians, sources such as agricultural records and social commentaries are crucial to understanding whether such images reflected the reality of the French countryside, or whether they catered to a market for idealized scenes. These prints offer a window into the cultural values of the time.