Gezicht op de haven van Carteret 1878

Léon-Germain Pelouse created this etching titled 'View of the Port of Carteret'. Pelouse was known for his landscapes that often captured the rural, working-class life of the French countryside. This scene is no different, with figures bent over and at work along the shore. Pelouse’s own social origins as the son of a working-class family shape his artistic focus. He gives us not only a picturesque view but also a glimpse into the labor and the lives of the people who inhabited these coastal communities. The rough textures created by the etching process mirror the harshness of the coastal environment and the lives of its inhabitants, offering a candid portrayal of labor and life by the sea. It invites us to consider the intersections of labor, landscape, and social identity.