La Noce de Village 1788 - 1794

Charles Melchior Descourtis created “La Noce de Village,” or “The Village Wedding,” using etching and aquatint, processes that allowed for the subtle gradations of tone you can see in the sky. Descourtis was working in France during a time of great social and political upheaval. Looking closely, we see a gathering of villagers celebrating a wedding. The scene suggests a communal event, with people of different ages and social standing coming together. But what is absent? The local aristocracy! It is striking that the village inhabitants are foregrounded, as though they were of primary importance, not the upper classes. The artist, like many at the time, would have been impacted by the writings of people like Rousseau, who advocated for the importance of the common people. The revolution was just around the corner when this was made, and people were beginning to question the traditional social order. Historians can look at images like this as documentary evidence of social attitudes and cultural change.