The Harrower (La herseuse), 1872
Alfred Eloi Auterocheexpand_more
Pencilexpand_more
Gift of Dr. Gabriel P. and Yvonne M.L. Weisbergexpand_more 2022.80.3
Not on Viewexpand_more
During the Paris Commune of 1871, Alfred Auteroche drove an ambulance for the Republican (national government) side, which defeated the revolutionary Communards who had seized control of Paris and established a government espousing the rights of women, children, and workers. A year after this bloody conflict, the artist exhibited The Harrower at the Paris Salon. The inscription, penned in Latin and French, means “To the man the sword, to the woman the plow”—seemingly a reference to the idea that women were left to work the fields as men fought for their political beliefs. This scene may thus have served as a memorial to the women burdened by the war, and the men lost in it.
Details
- Title
- The Harrower (La herseuse)
- Artist Life
- Paris 1831–Paris 1906
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2022.80.3
- Provenance
- Sale, Binoche-Desclee de Maredsous, Orleans, France, March 12, 2016, no. 81. [Galerie Christian Le Serbon, Paris, until 2018; to Weisberg]; Yvonne and Gabriel Weisberg, Minneapolis (2018–22; given to Mia)
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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