July, from "Album of Rustic Subjects" 1859

Charles Jacque made this etching, titled "July, from Album of Rustic Subjects," sometime in the mid-19th century. He used the graphic arts to explore themes of rural life and labor. The print offers a dual perspective. Above, Jacque depicts the collective labor of harvesting, a scene punctuated by figures wielding scythes. Below, cattle drink peacefully at a stream under the watchful eye of a lone shepherd. Made in France, this image speaks to the profound social and economic shifts of the time. With industrialization drawing people to cities, artists like Jacque turned to the countryside, often idealizing rural life as simpler and more authentic. This print, therefore, is more than a pastoral scene. It reflects a longing for a disappearing way of life, even as it acknowledges the human effort required to sustain it. To fully understand Jacque's work, we might turn to agricultural histories, literary sources, and the records of art institutions to reveal the complex dialogue between art and society.