The Weaver (Le tisserand), 1887
Léon-Augustin Lhermitteexpand_more
Charcoal highlighted with white chalkexpand_more
Gift of Dr. Gabriel P. and Yvonne M.L. Weisbergexpand_more 2022.80.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
Léon-Augustin Lhermitte made this drawing at a time when cottage industries such as weaving faced intense competition from mechanized factories. It was a serious social concern across northern Europe, one Lhermitte helped to humanize with his art. He ennobled these workers by portraying the space as orderly and the couple as absorbed in the day’s work, seeming to confer about the fiber that will be spun and woven into cloth. The product of their labors slowly accumulates on the big roller near the man’s feet. The pair are presented less as individuals than as generalized types, emblematic of all traditional artisans threatened by industrialization.
Details
- Title
- The Weaver (Le tisserand)
- Artist Life
- Mont-Saint-Père, Aisne 1844–Paris 1925
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2022.80.1
- Provenance
- Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, October 31, 1973, salle 7, M. Laurin. Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, January 23, 1974, salle 10, M. Ader, no. 28. [Paul Prouté S. A., Paris, until 1974; to Weisberg]; Yvonne and Gabriel Weisberg, Minneapolis (1974–2022; 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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