Peasant Planting Pea Sticks 1891

Camille Pissarro made this drawing, Peasant Planting Pea Sticks, sometime in the late 19th century. It gives us insight into the artist’s interest in the rural working class. The image presents a woman engaged in the repetitive and physically demanding task of planting sticks to support pea plants. We can analyse this image within the context of France during that time, when there was increasing social stratification and growing tension between urban and rural populations. Pissarro, as a social progressive, often depicted rural laborers with empathy and respect, challenging the dominant urban-centric narratives of the art world. In order to get a richer understanding of the image, we would consider the historical context of agricultural labor in 19th-century France, examining how shifts in land ownership, technological advancements, and social policies affected the lives and representations of peasant farmers. These considerations emphasize how art is always embedded in wider social and institutional structures.