Prayer (upper); Cart in Front of a House (lower) 1845

Charles Jacque created this etching, Prayer (upper); Cart in Front of a House (lower), using etching. Both images represent the everyday lives of rural people in 19th-century France. The top image shows people in prayer, perhaps before a meal. The lower image shows a horse and cart in front of what looks like a barn. These images are filled with visual codes that would have been easily readable at the time. The figures in prayer suggest a deep connection to religious tradition, while the horse and cart point to rural industry and labor. France was undergoing rapid social change at this time, and the country was becoming more urban and less rural. The images seem to be self-consciously conservative, representing the way of life that was slowly vanishing. Historians can use sources such as census records, newspapers, and church documents to further understand the social context in which this artwork was produced. It is important to remember that art can be contingent on ever-changing social and institutional contexts.