Picture Seller 1738

"Picture Seller" is an etching by Anne Claude Philippe Caylus, a prominent French art collector and connoisseur. This 1738 piece depicts a street vendor selling prints, likely of popular scenes or portraits. Caylus, known for his interest in Rococo aesthetics and everyday life, skillfully captures the figure's posture and the texture of the fabric. The inscription on the scroll, "Etudes prises dans le bas Peuple ou les Cris de Paris," indicates the subject matter of the prints - scenes of Parisian street life. This artwork provides a glimpse into 18th-century Parisian culture, offering a view into the lives of ordinary people.