The Spinner

The Spinner by Jean François Millet French, 1814-1875, is a compelling graphic work dating from 1868-1869, illustrating the artist's deep engagement with themes of rural labor and peasant life in nineteenth-century France. This piece is classified as a print, executed primarily through etching, though traces of drypoint are visible, lending a velvety richness to the lines and shading. The chosen supports include ivory laid paper, which was subsequently attached to a heavier cream wove card for preservation.

Millet was renowned for his commitment to depicting everyday activities with solemn gravity, elevating the dignity of common workers. This etching captures a figure immersed in the essential task of spinning thread, a ubiquitous, yet often overlooked, element of domestic and agricultural life during the period. The technique employed by Millet allows for a stark contrast between light and shadow, emphasizing the solitary concentration of the worker and underscoring the demanding nature of sustained manual activity.

As a crucial figure within French Realism, Millet’s printed works, like this one, gained wide distribution, ensuring that his powerful interpretations of agrarian society reached a broad audience beyond those who viewed his large oil paintings. The detailed craftsmanship evident in the lines and composition reinforces the status of this image as a highly successful piece of draftsmanship. This historically significant work is part of the extensive collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, contributing to the museum’s significant holdings of French prints from this era. Furthermore, due to its age and importance, this image is often utilized in educational resources and public domain art collections globally.