April, from "Album of Rustic Subjects" 1859

"April," a lithograph from Charles Jacque's "Album of Rustic Subjects" (1859) depicts the rural life of 19th-century France. The print, now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection, is divided into four scenes. In the top scene, a group of figures gather under a canopy of trees, while a woman and a donkey amble away. The bottom scene shows a flock of pigs rooting around in the mud, while the middle scenes depict daily activities: a woman milking a cow and another preparing food. Jacque's detailed, expressive lines capture the beauty and simplicity of rural life, making this print a quintessential example of the Realist style.