Laundresses on the Banks of the river 1873

Eugène Boudin’s painting shows laundresses at work, likely made with oil on canvas. The application of paint is gestural, and the image impressionistic, but the subject is anything but fanciful. Consider the materiality of the laundresses’ work. The cloth they wash would have been heavy and coarse, hard to scrub clean. The labour was grueling, the social status of laundresses low. The water would have been cold, and the work was relentless. The materiality of Boudin’s painting reminds us of these facts. The dark, muted palette speaks to the grimness of the work. The thick application of paint mirrors the heavy labour of the women. Boudin does not aestheticize their lives. Instead, he gives us an honest portrayal of their daily grind. Looking closely at the material reality of this painting, we realize how important it is to consider the wider social issues that underpin artistic creation, especially when thinking about depictions of labor.