The Maid at the Market

The Maid at the Market is a significant print created by Camille Pissarro in 1888. This piece exemplifies the artist’s dedicated experimentation with graphic media during the late 1880s, a period when he was transitioning between Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism. The work is meticulously executed using etching and drypoint on delicate china paper, representing the second state out of a known total of four states.

Pissarro often devoted his art to capturing authentic scenes of rural and urban French life, particularly focusing on the activities and interactions of working women. The Maid at the Market provides an intimate, unposed glimpse into the social structure of the era, centered around the figure of a servant navigating the bustling environment of a public market. Unlike conventional genre scenes, Pissarro emphasizes the quiet dignity and everyday labor of the maid, reinforcing his commitment to representing the realities of the working class. The detailed linework inherent in the drypoint technique highlights the textures and atmosphere of the market setting.

This impression underscores Pissarro’s mastery of printmaking, successfully integrating the controlled precision of etching with the rich, velvety tones afforded by the burr of drypoint. The piece is classified as a print within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a major work from Pissarro’s graphic oeuvre, it demonstrates the enduring artistic power of nineteenth-century prints, and historical reproductions of the work are frequently available through public domain art initiatives.