Quarry near Montmartre 1865

François-Nicolas Chifflart created this etching titled ‘Quarry near Montmartre’. The image shows a landscape scarred by industry, reflecting the rapid urban development of Paris during the 19th century. Chifflart, who came from a modest background, might have been particularly attuned to the social and environmental costs of this transformation. Here we see the land around Montmartre, once a rural escape, now torn open for resources. The figures in the foreground seem dwarfed by the scale of the quarry, perhaps suggesting the impact of industrialization on the individual. The plume of smoke on the horizon hints at the environmental consequences of this relentless progress. What does it mean when the earth is viewed as something to be dominated and exploited? Chifflart's print invites us to consider these questions, and to reflect on our own relationship with the environment.