Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers

Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers by Camille Pissarro is a remarkable drawing executed in gouache on silk, classified within the artist’s extensive output between 1850 and 1903. This delicate medium was specifically utilized for the piece’s original purpose as a decorative fan mount. The intimate scene depicts rural life, focusing on women engaged in arduous labor within a farm setting, specifically gathering large heads of cabbage. Pissarro was deeply invested in documenting the everyday lives of the working poor, and this work exemplifies his commitment to portraying the dignity and physical demands of Agriculture.

The composition highlights the robust figures of the women as they toil in the fields, emphasizing their vital role in supplying essential vegetables. Pissarro’s technique, utilizing gouache, allows for a vibrant yet controlled palette, providing solid forms despite the fragile silk support. Although often associated with Impressionism, Pissarro’s thematic focus on manual labor and social realism links this drawing strongly to broader movements concerned with the lives of ordinary citizens.

This insightful piece offers a detailed look at nineteenth-century French farms and the tireless labor that sustained them. The work is held in the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ensuring its preservation and public accessibility. As the original Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers is a highly specialized and fragile drawing, many students and enthusiasts appreciate high-quality prints derived from the museum’s collection. Due to its historical significance, many related images by Pissarro focusing on farm workers and rural subjects are now available in the public domain, extending the reach of his influential depictions of peasant life.