Peasant Woman of Boulogne (Paysanne des environs de Boulogne dite La femme au panier) 

Alphonse Legros created this print, Paysanne des environs de Boulogne dite La femme au panier, using etching. This is a printmaking technique where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid, then inked and pressed onto paper. Look closely, and you'll see how Legros used close-packed parallel lines to create the dark shadows of the woman’s cloak and the rough stone wall behind her. These finely worked lines, etched into the metal plate, were laboriously created by the artist, and speak to the woman’s own labor. The diagonal lines suggest the weave of the basket that the peasant woman holds, representing a common object born out of a time-honored craft tradition. Legros has imbued the image with a somber quality through his careful working of the plate, transforming a common scene of rural life into a statement about the lives of working people. In doing so, he elevates craft to fine art, reminding us of the skill and care involved in both.