La famille des Cochons ramenée dans l'étable (The family of pigs pulled to the stable) 1791

This hand-colored etching, "The family of pigs pulled to the stable", was anonymously made, likely in France, at some point in the late 1700s. The image depicts several figures with human bodies and pig heads being carted along in what looks like a trough of hay, pulled by a horse ridden by a man in military garb. They are flanked by uniformed soldiers. The title suggests that this is a return "home" for the pigs. At the time this was made, France was in turmoil, nearing the French Revolution. It wasn’t uncommon to caricature the aristocracy. Often, these types of images were produced to promote political change by demeaning the ruling class. The pig imagery here suggests that the artist viewed the targets as unclean, gluttonous, and deserving of ridicule. To further understand this etching, we can look into the visual culture of revolutionary France: its popular imagery and its printmaking traditions. We might also consider the rise of the modern museum, and how collecting institutions have shaped the artwork's meaning over time.