1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Chickweed Merchant (Marchand de mouron) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, depicting Peasant, held at National Gallery of Art.
A man in a long coat walks past a stand of chickweed. The plant’s tangled stems and small white flowers fill most of the scene. He carries a basket, maybe for the green leaves people ate to survive hard times. Legros made this in 1865, when Paris still had street sellers hawking greens door-to-door. The etching uses drypoint: the artist scratched fine lines into a metal plate, then inked it so the scratches catch light. That gives the fuzzy leaves a soft shimmer. The print feels quiet but honest. Check the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
See the richer artist page
