The Maternal Precaution

The Maternal Precaution by Jean François Millet (French, 1814-1875) is a technically complex and historically significant example of nineteenth-century French printmaking, executed between 1860 and 1863. This print utilizes the experimental medium of cliché-verre, a hybrid process that bridges drawing and photography. To create the image, Millet drew or scratched the design onto a glass plate coated with an opaque material. The plate was then used as a negative, printed directly onto cream wove photo-sensitized paper.

The resulting photographic base was further refined by the artist, as evidenced by the applied dark brown ink retouching. This manual intervention provided greater tonal depth and texture, allowing the finished print to maintain the spontaneity and intimacy of a unique drawing while benefiting from photographic reproduction.

Millet, known internationally for his powerful depictions of peasant life and rural labor in France, often explored themes of family, domestic duty, and quiet resilience. The subject matter inherent in The Maternal Precaution reflects this enduring interest, likely capturing a subtle interaction between a mother and child that speaks to the dignity of everyday existence.

As a pioneer in the cliché-verre technique, Millet’s work offers important insights into the mid-century exploration of new reproductive mediums. This essential piece of French art history is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a key reference for the study of prints and photographic innovation. Due to the age and classification of this work, high-quality images of this print are frequently available through public domain resources.