Herderin geeft koeien te drinken bij een waterpomp 1771

Jean-Baptiste Leprince created this chalk-manner print of a herderin and her cows sometime in the 1700s. It’s interesting to consider the social context of the time. Rural life was often romanticized by the urban elite, who were far removed from the realities of agricultural labor. Leprince, as an artist working for a largely aristocratic clientele, was part of a system that elevated certain idealized images of the countryside. The print offers a glimpse into the way the French elite perceived rural life. Was it a genuine interest in the lives of the working class, or merely a decorative indulgence? Perhaps it was a bit of both. Prints like these can offer valuable insights into the social and cultural values of the time. To further understand Leprince's motivations and the reception of his work, one might turn to period writings on art and aesthetics, social histories of 18th-century France, and studies of the art market and patronage during that era.