Female Peasant Carrying a Basket and Hay

About the Artwork

During the 1870s, Giraudon commissioned one or more artists—probably a French painter who wished to remain anonymous—to create photographs of peasants. Now called Giraudon’s Artist, this photographer was one of the few in the 1800s specializing in rural figure studies created for use by artists. The images were likely taken near Barbizon, a destination popular with artists who wanted to work from nature. The artistry of these images derives from their skillful use of light, ability to render a subject in the landscape, and a perceptive depiction of human dignity.

Inscriptions

Written in negative: "163"; in pencil on recto: "N1180".

Exhibition history

France at the Dawn of Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 4, 2009-January 24, 2010). France in the Time of Manet and Morisot. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 10-August 23, 2026).

Quick Overview

Artist: Auguste Giraudon (French)
Date: c. 1870
Medium: albumen print from wet collodion negative
Dimensions: Image: 17.2 x 11.1 cm (6 3/4 x 4 3/8 in.); Mounted: 20.7 x 15.8 cm (8 1/8 x 6 1/4 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
Type: Photograph
Classification: Photograph
Department: Photography
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 1999.27

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 7, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.