La Lavandière c. 1860

"La Lavandière" is a drawing by French artist Jean-François Millet, created around 1860. The artwork depicts a woman washing clothes by hand in a stream, a common task for rural women in the 19th century. Millet’s focus on the simple, daily lives of peasant workers is characteristic of his work, which falls under the genre of Realism, a movement which emphasized depicting life as it truly was, with a focus on everyday scenes. The image conveys a sense of simplicity and hard work, with a realistic portrayal of the woman’s posture and the details of the landscape. Millet’s depiction of rural life and labor had a lasting influence on art, helping to make peasant life a subject worthy of artistic consideration.