La laitiere

About this work

This print shows a woman in a loose, draped dress holding a horse’s reins. She wears a simple bonnet and stands with one arm resting on the horse’s neck. Behind her, a bundle of sticks leans against a fence, and the sky is faintly visible. The title *La Laitière* hints she might be a milkmaid, a common but respected rural figure. The artist used shading to show fabric folds and the horse’s muscles. Next, look up etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how prints like this were made.