Milkmaid of Boulogne, 1st plate (Laitiere a Boulogne)
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1874
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Milkmaid of Boulogne, 1st plate (Laitiere a Boulogne) is a 1874 ink by Alphonse Legros, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image is a black and white etching of a woman carrying milk. She is wearing a headscarf and a long dark dress, and is walking along a path with a donkey. The donkey is carrying two large jugs, and the woman is holding a stick in her right hand. The scene is set in a rural landscape, with hills and trees visible in the background. The overall mood of the image is one of quiet contemplation, with the woman and the donkey moving slowly through the landscape. The etching is a beautiful example of the Romantic style, with its emphasis on the beauty of nature and the everyday lives of ordinary people. To learn more about this style, look up Romanticism.
