Drie schoolkinderen met een appel 1825

Nicolas Toussaint Charlet made this lithograph, Three Schoolchildren with an Apple, in France at some point in the first half of the 19th century. With its inscription about being willing to give away what little one has, Charlet’s image encapsulates the social ideals of the post-revolutionary era. The three children share an apple. But it's a world of uneven distribution and relative scarcity that they inhabit. The buildings are austere and basic, and the children’s dress is simple. France had undergone significant political and social upheaval in the decades before Charlet made this print. It became increasingly important to give the population the moral tools to create a more egalitarian and harmonious society. Educational institutions were seen as important sites of reform, and the motif of children sharing food becomes charged with social and political meaning. By studying the production and reception of images such as this one, and relating that history to educational reforms and other political and social phenomena, we can better understand the public role of art in 19th-century France.