The Maternal Precaution

"The Maternal Precaution" is a poignant print created in 1860 by the French master Jean François Millet, and published by Sagot-Le Garrec and Company. This work showcases the innovative technique of cliché-verre, an experimental hybrid process popular in mid-19th-century France that combined elements of drawing and photography. Produced on cream wove photo-sensitized paper, the resulting image possesses the linearity of an etching yet the tonal smoothness characteristic of early photographic prints.

Millet was a leading figure in the Barbizon School and a foundational practitioner of nineteenth-century Social Realism. He dedicated his career to depicting the dignity and hardship of rural life. While the specific scene of The Maternal Precaution focuses intimately on the theme of motherhood and domesticity, it reflects the broader cultural movement in France toward valuing the lives and labor of the peasantry. The intimate scale and subject matter are typical of Millet's focus on universal themes found in everyday agrarian existence.

The use of the cliché-verre technique allowed Millet to disseminate his powerful, drawn compositions more widely than traditional drawing alone, demonstrating the increasing technological sophistication of prints during this period. The nuanced detail and soft contrasts achieved in this work make it a significant example of Millet’s graphic output. This type of historic graphic work, which may sometimes be found in the public domain, remains crucial for understanding the artistic and technological developments of the 1860s. This key example of French printmaking is currently held in the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.