Willem Roelofs made this drawing of a street scene with a cart in Barbizon using graphite. Roelofs was a Dutch artist who was drawn to the French countryside, particularly the village of Barbizon, which became a hub for landscape painters in the mid-19th century. Looking at this quiet village scene, it’s easy to imagine the kind of life available to the rural poor in France during this period. Barbizon was a retreat from industrialization, and the drawing captures the simplicity of rural life, the landscape around it, and its inhabitants. But this idyllic scene belies the realities of labor, class, and access to resources that defined the lives of many who lived there. Roelofs’ drawing invites us to consider the complexities of rural life and the social and economic forces that shape our relationship to the land.