Houses 1845

Charles Bargue sketched this drawing, titled "Houses," on a sheet of paper sometime in the mid-19th century. Bargue was a French artist, celebrated for his pedagogical method, at a time when art education was becoming formalized within state-sponsored academies. Here, we see a densely packed urban landscape, the architecture rendered with quick, confident strokes. The presence of market stalls at street level suggests a bustling public sphere, likely in France, as indicated by Bargue’s nationality and artistic focus. This drawing raises questions about the social conditions of urban life during the period of rapid industrialization. Was it intended as a study of architectural form? Or perhaps a commentary on the burgeoning urban environments? To truly understand the role of this drawing, we need to consider the broader context of 19th-century French society, consulting not only art historical resources but also social histories and urban studies, to fully appreciate the implications of Bargue’s work.