The Little Farm Girl 1748 - 1758

This print, "The Little Farm Girl," was made in France in the 1700s by Claude Augustin Duflos le Jeune. It presents a vision of rural life that romanticizes the role of women and children in agricultural labor. The image, created during a period of growing urbanization and social inequality, idealizes the countryside as a space of innocence and virtue. Note how the young girl is carefully posed and dressed, and how the farm is immaculate and picturesque. It is as if she is a model, not a farmhand. The image speaks to the social values of its time. In this period, it was critical to emphasize the importance of women's work and their ability to manage a household and contribute to the family's economic well-being. This print is just one of many sources that historians might consult to better understand these representations. These sources, considered alongside census data, agricultural records, and other period documents, can provide a rich understanding of life at the time.