The Return from the Field 1878

Jules Bastien-Lepage created this print, "The Return from the Field," using etching. Born in a small village in France, Bastien-Lepage offers us a glimpse into the lives of rural working women, lives often rendered invisible by mainstream society. Here, a woman, rake slung over her shoulder, walks away from the fields. Bastien-Lepage’s rural subjects weren’t romanticized or idealized, but presented as complex individuals shaped by labor, class, and gender. The woman's averted gaze and sturdy posture speaks volumes about the dignity of labor, yet there's also a weariness, a quiet acknowledgment of the burdens these women carried. Bastien-Lepage, speaking about his work, said he sought to depict "ordinary people in ordinary surroundings." The artist invites us to contemplate the narratives of those whose stories are often overlooked, whose identities are forged in the fields, and whose resilience shapes the very landscapes they inhabit.