The Shepherdess 1871

This print called 'The Shepherdess' was made by J. Foxcroft Cole in the 19th century. It depicts a young woman tending to her flock by a tranquil stream. The image draws on a long tradition of pastoral imagery which romanticizes rural life. But here, the artist seems less interested in idealizing the shepherdess and more concerned with depicting a scene from contemporary French rural life. Consider the social conditions that shape artistic production. How did economic structures influence it? The print was made during a time of great social and economic change in France, as industrialization was drawing people from the countryside to the cities. The image may be seen as a nostalgic longing for a simpler way of life, or perhaps a commentary on the changing role of women in society. To fully understand this work, one could research the artist's biography, or examine other images of rural life from this period. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.