Goose Girl c. 1897

Editor: Here we have Camille Pissarro's "Goose Girl," a small chine collé print. It feels so intimate and personal. What do you see in this piece, considering Pissarro's context? Curator: Well, this print reveals much about the role of pastoral imagery in late 19th-century France. Notice how Pissarro, known for portraying rural life, uses this seemingly simple scene. How do you think this image might speak to the idealized vision of peasantry at the time? Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but it does seem like a romanticized version of farm life. Curator: Exactly. It invites us to consider who gets to define and depict these rural narratives, and for what purpose. These images were often consumed by an urban, bourgeois audience. Editor: That makes me see it in a totally different light! Curator: Indeed. It's fascinating to consider the power dynamics at play in even the most bucolic scenes.