Barges at Auteuil 1900

Gustave Leheutre created "Barges at Auteuil," a print now held at the Art Institute of Chicago, during a period when Paris was rapidly transforming. Leheutre, born into a family of artists, depicted scenes of Parisian life with a focus on its working class. Here, we see barges, the lifeblood of commerce, clustered along the riverbank, becoming almost a floating extension of the city itself. These barges were not just transport; they were homes, workplaces, and communities for many. The artist's delicate rendering of the scene belies the grit and labor involved in river trade, humanizing the lives of the workers. The print invites us to consider the intersection of labor, urban development, and the intimate lives of those who powered Paris's economy. It's a scene of quiet industry, a reminder of the human stories etched into the city's landscape.