Forge 1848

Charles Jacque made this print, called 'Forge', using etching in nineteenth-century France. The print depicts two figures working at a forge; one is hammering a piece of metal, while the other appears to be working a bellows. It's important to consider how prints like this one circulated at the time. Prints were relatively inexpensive and readily available, so this print gave viewers insight into the lives of common workers. During this period, industrialization changed French society rapidly. Many artists began portraying working-class people and everyday scenes as subjects for art. Jacque's print reflects a growing interest in the lives of working people. To truly understand this work, we can look into the economic conditions of 19th-century France and how new technologies were changing the lives of everyday people.