Artwork
The Peddler
The Peddler is an oil painting by the Realist artist Vladimir Makovsky. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By centering a female street vendor, Makovsky critiques social stratification while humanizing marginalized figures through dignified, detailed representation.
The subject depicted in Vladimir Makovsky’s The Peddler (1880) is a woman engaged in street vending, a figure representative of the lower urban classes in late 19th-century Russia. The painting portrays her modestly dressed, holding goods for sale, aligning with Makovsky’s focus on genre scenes of everyday life. The work underscores the economic realities faced by women of the period, particularly those relying on small-scale trade for survival.
By centering a female street vendor, Makovsky critiques social stratification while humanizing marginalized figures through dignified, detailed representation.
Technique & Style
Vladimir Makovsky executed The Peddler in 1880 using oil paint applied to a wooden panel support. The work measures 25.4 centimeters in height and 14.6 centimeters in width, resulting in a compact, vertical format typical of small-scale genre studies. As an oil-on-panel painting, the medium allows for precise brushwork and detailed rendering of the depicted figures, which include a woman, a peddler, and a street vendor.
The choice of panel as a support suggests a focus on durability and a smooth surface suitable for the intricate details characteristic of the artist's style during this period. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where its physical condition and material composition remain consistent with late 19th-century Russian realist techniques.
History & Provenance
The Peddler is an oil-on-panel painting created by Vladimir Makovsky in 1880. The work depicts a street vendor and a woman, measuring 25.4 by 14.6 centimeters. Currently, the piece is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The sources provide the inception date and the artist's name but do not contain specific details regarding the original commission, the initial owner, or the subsequent chain of custody leading to its current institutional home.
The Peddler, an 1880 oil painting on panel by Vladimir Makovsky, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work measures 25.4 cm in height and 14.6 cm in width. While the sources confirm the artwork's current institutional location and physical dimensions, they do not provide a specific accession or inventory number. Furthermore, no details regarding the painting's exhibition history or past showings are included in the available records.
Overview
Vladimir Yegorovich Makovsky, a Russian artist known for his contributions as a painter, collector, and educator, completed The Peddler in 1890. This oil painting exemplifies the Realism movement, presenting a solitary female street vendor. The artwork is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering a glimpse into late 19th-century Russian life through an individual portrait.
Artist & collection
Artist
Vladimir Yegorovich Makovsky (Russian: Владимир Егорович Маковский; 7 February 1846 – 21 February 1920) was a Russian painter, art collector, and teacher.
