file which includes the original        
illustrations4       ,see #acaai-;h4htm 
or #acaai-;h4zip3                       
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/#a_/c_/a_/
a_/acaai_/acaai-;h_/#acaai-;h4htm7      
or                                      
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/#a_/c_/a_/
a_/acaai_/acaai-;h4zip7      ,,jean     
,,fran,,ois ,,millet  ,a ,collection of 
,fifteen ,pictures and a ,portrait of   
the ,painter1 with ,introduction and    
,interpretation  by  ,,estelle ,m4      
,,hurll  ,the ,riverside ,art ,series   
#aijj        ,illustration3 ,,jean      
,,fran,,ois ,,millet    ,,preface   ,in 
making a selection of ,millet's         
pictures1 devoted as they are to the    
single theme of ,french peasant life1   
variety of subject can be obtained only 
by showing as many phases of that life  
as possible4 ,our illustrations         
therefore represent both men and women  
working separately in the tasks peculiar
 to each1 and working together in the   
labors shared between them4 ,there are  

in addition a few pictures of child     
life4  ,the selections include a study  
of the field1 the dooryard1 and the home
 interior1 and range from the happiest  
to the most sombre subjects4 ,they show 
also considerable variety in artistic   
motive and composition1 and taken       
together fairly represent the scope of  
,millet's work4  ,,estelle ,m4 ,,hurll4 
,,new ,,bedford1 ,,mass4 ,march1 #aijj4 
,,contents ,,and ,,list ,,of ,,pictures 
,,portrait ,,of ,,millet4 ,,drawn ,,by  
,,himself  ,,introduction       ,i4     
,,on ,,millet',s ,,character ,,as ,,an  
,,artist       ,,ii4  ,,on ,,books ,,of 
,,reference       ,,iii4 ,,historical   
,,directory ,,of ,,the ,,pictures ,,of  
,,this ,,collection       ,,iv4         
,,outline ,,table ,,of ,,the ,,principal
 ,,events ,,in ,,millet',s ,,life       
,v4   ,,some ,,of ,,millet',s           
,,associates  ,i4    ,,going ,,to ,,work
  ,,ii4   ,,the ,,knitting ,,lesson     
,,iii4  ,,the ,,potato ,,planters  ,,iv4
   ,,the ,,woman ,,sewing ,,by          

,,lamplight  ,v4    ,,the ,,shepherdess 
,,vi4   ,,the ,,woman ,,feeding ,,hens  
,,vii4  ,,the ,,angelus  ,,viii4        
,,filling ,,the ,,water-,,bottles  ,,ix4
   ,,feeding ,,her ,,birds  ,x4    ,,the
 ,,church ,,at ,,gr,,ville  ,,xi4       
,,the ,,sower  ,,xii4  ,,the ,,gleaners 
,,xiii4 ,,the ,,milkmaid  ,,xiv4  ,,the 
,,woman ,,churning  ,,xv4   ,,the ,,man 
,,with ,,the ,,hoe  ,,xvi4  ,,the       
,,portrait ,,of ,,millet  ,,pronouncing 
,,vocabulary ,,of ,,proper ,,names ,,and
 ,,foreign ,,words  ,,note3 ,all the    
pictures were made from carbon prints by
 ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4                  
,,introduction  ,i4 ,,on ,,millet',s    
,,character ,,as ,,an ,,artist   ,the   
distinctive features of ,millet's art   
are so marked that the most             
inexperienced observer easily identifies
 his work4 ,as a painter of rustic      
subjects1 he is unlike any other artists
 who have entered the same field1 even  
those who have taken his own themes4 ,we
 get at the heart of the matter when we 

say that ,millet derived his art        
directly from nature4 ,if ,i could only 
do what ,i like1 he said1 ,i would paint
 nothing that was not the result of an  
impression directly received from       
nature1 whether in landscape or in      
figure4 ,his pictures are convincing    
evidence that he acted upon this theory4
 ,they have a peculiar quality of       
genuineness beside which all other      
rustic art seems forced and artificial4 
,the human side of life touched him most
 deeply1 and in many of his earlier     
pictures1 landscape was secondary4      
,gradually he grew into the larger      
conception of a perfect harmony between 
man and his environment4 ,henceforth    
landscape ceased to be a mere setting or
 background in a figure picture1 and    
became an organic part of the           
composition4 ,as a critic once wrote of 
the ,shepherdess1 the earth and sky1 the
 scene and the actors1 all answer one   
another1 all hold together1 belong      
together4 ,the description applies      

equally well to many other pictures and 
particularly to the ,angelus1 the       
,sower1 and the ,gleaners4 ,in all      
these1 landscape and figure are         
interdependent1 fitting together in a   
perfect unity4  ,as a painter of        
landscapes1 ,millet mastered a wide     
range of the effects of changing light  
during different hours of the day4 ,the 
mists of early morning in ,filling the  
,water-,bottles2 the glare of noonday in
 the ,gleaners2 the sunset glow in the  
,angelus and the ,shepherdess2 the      
sombre twilight of the ,sower2 and the  
glimmering lamplight of the ,woman      
,sewing1 each found perfect             
interpretation4 ,though showing himself 
capable of representing powerfully the  
more violent aspects of nature1 he      
preferred as a rule the normal and      
quiet4  ,in figure painting ,millet     
sought neither grace nor beauty1 but    
expression4 ,that he regarded neither of
 these first two qualities as           
intrinsically unworthy1 we may infer    

from the grace of the ,sower1 and the   
nave beauty of the ,shepherdess and the 
,woman ,sewing4 ,but that expression was
 of paramount interest to him we see    
clearly in the ,angelus and the ,man    
with the ,hoe4 ,the leading             
characteristic of his art is strength1  
and he distrusted the ordinary elements 
of prettiness as taking something from  
the total effect he wished to produce4  
,let no one think that they can force me
 to prettify my types1 he said4 ,i would
 rather do nothing than express myself  
feebly4  ,it was always his first aim to
 make his people look as if they        
belonged to their station4 ,the mute    
inglorious ,milton and ,maud ,muller    
with her nameless longings had no place 
on his canvases4 ,his was the genuine   
peasant of field and farm1 no imaginary 
denizen of the poets' ,arcady4 ,the     
beautiful is the fitting1 was his final 
summary of sthetic theory1 and the      
theory was put into practice on every   
canvas4  ,in point of composition       

,millet's pictures have great           
excellence4 ,i try not to have things   
look as if chance brought them together1
 he said1 but as if they had a necessary
 bond between them4 ,so nothing is      
accidental1 but every object1 however   
small1 is an indispensable part of the  
whole scheme4  ,an important            
characteristic of his work is its power 
to suggest the third dimension of space4
 ,the figures have a solid1 tangible    
appearance1 as if actually alive4 ,the  
,gleaners1 the ,woman ,churning1 and the
 ,man with the ,hoe are thoroughly      
convincing in their reality4  ,the      
picture of the ,gleaners especially has 
that so-called quality of circumambient 
light which circulates about the        
objects1 so to speak1 and gives them    
position in space4 ,millet's landscapes 
also have a depth of spaciousness which 
reaches into infinite distance4 ,the    
principles of composition are applied in
 perspective as well as laterally4 ,we  
can look into the picture1 through it1  

and beyond it1 as if we were standing in
 the presence of nature4  ,mr4 ,bernhard
 ,berenson goes so far as to say that   
this art of space composition1 as he    
terms it1 can directly communicate      
religious emotion1 and explains on this 
ground the devotional influence of      
,perugino's works1 which show so        
remarkable a feeling for space4#a ,if he
 is right1 it is on this principle1     
rather than because of its subject1 that
 the ,angelus is1 as it has sometimes   
been called1 one of the greatest        
religious paintings of the age4  ,while 
,millet's art is1 in its entirety1 quite
 unique1 there are certain interesting  
points of resemblance between his work  
and that of some older masters4 ,he is  
akin to ,rembrandt both in his          
indifference to beauty and in his       
intense love of human nature4 ,millet's 
indifference to beauty is the more      
remarkable because in this he stood     
alone in his day and generation1 while  
in the northern art of the seventeenth  

century1 of which ,rembrandt is an      
exponent1 beauty was never supreme4  ,as
 a lover of human nature1 ,millet's     
sympathies1 though no less intense than 
,rembrandt's1 were less catholic4 ,his  
range of observation was limited to     
peasant life1 while the ,dutch master   
painted all classes and conditions of   
men4 ,yet both alike were profound      
students of character and regarded      
expression as the chief element of      
beauty4 ,rembrandt1 however1 sought     
expression principally in the           
countenance1 and ,millet had a fuller   
understanding of the expressiveness of  
the entire body4 ,the work of each thus 
complements that of the other4          
,millet's passion for figure expression 
was first worked out in painting the    
nude4 ,when he abandoned such subjects  
for the homelier themes of labor1 he    
gave no less attention to the study of  
form and attitude4 ,the simple clothing 
of the peasant is cut so loosely as to  
give entire freedom of motion to the    

body1 and it is worn so long that it    
shapes itself perfectly to the figure4  
,the body thus clad is scarcely inferior
 to the nude in assuming the fine lines 
of an expressive pose4  ,millet's       
instinct for pose was that of a         
sculptor4 ,many of the figures for his  
pictures were first carefully modelled  
in wax or clay4 ,transferred to canvas  
they are drawn in the strong simple     
outlines of a statue4 ,it is no         
extravagant flight of fancy which has   
likened him to ,michelangelo4 ,in the   
strength and seriousness of his         
conceptions1 the bold sweep of his      
lines1 and1 above all1 in the impression
 of motion which he conveys1 he has much
 in common with the great ,italian      
master4 ,like ,michelangelo1 ,millet    
gives first preference to the dramatic  
moment when action is imminent4 ,the    
,sower is in the act of casting the seed
 into the ground1 as ,david is in the   
act of stretching his sling4 ,as we     
look1 we seem to see the hand complete  

its motion4 ,so also the ,gleaners1 the 
,women ,filling the ,water-,bottles1 and
 the ,potato ,planters are all portrayed
 in attitudes of performance4  ,when    
,millet represents repose it is as an   
interval of suspended action1 not as the
 end of completed work4 ,the            
,shepherdess pauses but a moment in her 
walk and will immediately move on again4
 ,the man and woman of the ,angelus rest
 only for the prayer and then resume    
their work4 ,the ,man with the ,hoe     
snatches but a brief respite from his   
labors4 ,the impression of power        
suggested by his figure1 even in        
immobility1 recalls ,michelangelo's     
,jeremiah4  ,to the qualities which are 
reminiscent of ,michelangelo ,millet    
adds another in which he is allied to   
the ,greeks4 ,this is his tendency      
towards generalization4 ,it is the      
typical rather than the individual which
 he strives to present4 ,my dream1 he   
once wrote1 is to characterize the type4
 ,so his figures1 like those of ,greek  

sculpture1 reproduce no particular      
model1 but are the general type deduced 
from the study of many individuals4     
,footnote #a3 ,in ,central ,italian     
,painters of the ,renaissance4     ,,ii4
 ,,on ,,books ,,of ,,reference   ,since 
the death of ,millet1 in #ahge1 much    
that is interesting and valuable has    
been written of his life and work4 ,the 
first biography of the painter was that 
by his friend ,sensier1 in a large      
illustrated volume whose contents have  
been made familiar to ,english readers  
by an abridged translation published in 
this country simultaneously with the    
issue of the ,french edition4           
,containing all the essential facts of  
,millet's outward life1 besides a great 
number of the artist's letters1 together
 with his autobiographical reminiscences
 of childhood1 ,sensier's work is the   
principal source of information1 from   
which all later writers draw4 ,yet it is
 not an altogether fair and satisfactory
 presentation of ,millet's life4 ,undue 

emphasis is laid upon his struggles with
 poverty1 and the book leaves much to be
 desired4  ,julia ,cartwright's recent  
work1 ,jean ,franois ,millet3 ,his ,life
 and ,letters1 is founded on ,sensier's 
life1 yet rounds out the study of the   
master's character and work with the    
fuller knowledge with which family and  
friends have described his career4      
,another recent book called ,j4,f4      
,millet and ,rustic ,art is by ,henry   
,naegely 7published in ,england71 and is
 critical rather than biographical in   
purport4 ,it is a sympathetic           
appreciation of ,millet's art and       
character1 and grows out of a careful   
study of the painter's works and an     
intimate connection with the ,millet    
family4  ,besides these books devoted   
exclusively to the subject1 the life    
work of ,millet is admirably sketched in
 brief form in the following more       
general works3--  ,richard ,muther's    
,history of ,modern ,painting1 ,mrs4    
,stranahan's ,history of ,french        

,painting1 ,rose ,g4 ,kingsley's        
,history of ,french ,art1 and ,d4,c4    
,thomson's ,barbizon ,school4  ,of great
 importance to the student of ,millet   
are the various articles contributed to 
the magazines by those who knew and     
understood the painter4 ,the following  
are of special note3 ,by ,edward ,w4    
,wheelwright1 in ,the ,atlantic         
,monthly1 ,september1 #ahgf2 by ,wyatt  
,eaton1 in the ,century1 ,may1 #ahhi2 by
 ,t4,h4 ,bartlett1 in ,scribner's1 ,may 
and ,june1 #ahij2 by ,pierre ,millet1 in
 ,century1 ,january1 #ahic1 and ,april1 
#ahid2 and by ,will ,low1 in            
,mc,clure's1 ,may1 #ahif4 ,julia        
,cartwright1 in the preface to the above
 mentioned biography1 mentions other    
magazine articles not so generally      
accessible4     ,,iii4 ,,historical     
,,directory ,,of ,,the ,,pictures ,,of  
,,this ,,collection   ,portrait         
frontispiece1 a life-size crayon made by
 ,millet in #ahdg and given to his      
friend ,charlier4 ,it afterwards became 

the property of ,sensier44  #a4 ,going  
to ,work1 one of several versions of the
 subject in different mediums1 oil1     
pastel1 drawing1 and etching4 ,this     
picture was painted in #ahea1 and was at
 one time 7#ahia7 in a private          
collection in ,glasgow4#a ,it is to be  
distinguished from the picture of #ahej1
 where the woman carries a pitcher      
instead of a rope4#b  #b4 ,the ,knitting
 ,lesson1 a drawing corresponding in    
general composition1 with some changes  
of detail1 to the small painting 7#ag by
 #ad-a_/b in47 of the subject in the    
collection of ,mrs4 ,martin ,brimmer1 in
 the ,museum of ,fine ,arts1 ,boston4   
#c4 ,the ,potato ,planters1 painted in  
#ahfb1 and exhibited at the great       
exhibition at ,paris of that year1 also 
again in #ahfg at the ,international    
,exhibition4 ,it changed hands for large
 sums during the painter's lifetime1 and
 is now in the ,quincy ,a4 ,shaw        
collection1 ,boston1 ,mass4  #d4 ,the   
,woman ,sewing by ,lamplight1 painted in

 #ahgb1 and sold in #ahgc for #ch1ejj   
francs1 the highest price at that time  
ever paid for one of ,millet's works4   
#e4 ,the ,shepherdess1 painted in #ahfb1
 and exhibited at the ,salon of #ahfd1  
also again at the ,exposition           
,universelle of #ahfg4 ,it is now in the
 collection of ,m4 ,chauchard4  #f4 ,the
 ,woman ,feeding ,hens1 a charcoal      
sketch1 corresponding in general        
composition to the description of a     
painting bearing the same name1 which   
was painted in #ahed for ,m4 ,letrne for
 #bjjj francs4  #g4 ,the ,angelus1 an   
oil painting measuring #be by #ba in4   
,the first drawing for the picture was  
sold ,february1 #aheh4 ,the painting was
 completed for exhibition in the ,salon 
of #ahei4 ,it was declined by the patron
 for whom it was intended1 and finally  
sold to a ,belgian artist in #ahfj1 and 
soon afterwards to the ,belgian         
minister4 ,the original price was #bjjj 
francs4 ,the picture passed from one    
owner to another1 and in #ahgc was      

bought by ,j4,w4 ,wilson for #ej1jjj    
francs1 later bringing at the ,wilson   
sale of #ahha the sum of #fdjj4 ,in an  
auction sale of the ,secrtan collection1
 ,july1 #ahhi1 there was an immense     
excitement over the contest between the 
,french government1 represented by ,m4  
,proust1 ,director of ,fine ,arts1 and  
various ,american dealers1 who were     
determined to win the prize4 ,it was    
finally knocked down to ,m4 ,proust for 
#eec1jjj francs1 but the ,french        
government refused to ratify the        
purchase1 and the picture was brought to
 the ,united ,states4 ,here the customs 
duty exacted was so enormous 7#gjjj7    
that the picture remained only six      
months 7the duty being waived during    
that period71 and after being exhibited 
throughout the country finally returned 
to ,france1 where it was purchased for  
#cb1jjj by ,m4 ,chauchard1 who has the  
finest collection of ,millets in        
existence4  #h4 ,filling the            
,water-,bottles1 a charcoal drawing1    

which attracted much attention when     
exhibited in the ,millet collection of  
the ,paris ,exposition1 #ahhi4  #i4     
,feeding ,her ,birds1 painted in #ahfj1 
and exhibited in ,salon of #ahfa4       
,presented by a purchaser to the ,museum
 of ,lille in #ahga4  #aj4 ,the ,church 
at ,grville1 sketched during ,millet's  
visit at ,grville in the summer of      
#ahga2 referred to by him1 in a letter  
of #ahgb1 as still in process of        
painting2 found in his studio at the    
time of his death1 in #ahge4 ,the       
picture was bought by the ,french       
government1 and is now in the ,louvre1  
,paris4  #aa4 ,the ,sower1 the second   
painting of the subject1 painted in     
#ahej1 and exhibited in the ,salon of   
#ahej-ea4 ,it is now in the ,vanderbilt 
collection1 ,new ,york4  ,a pencil      
sketch of the ,sower is in the          
collection of ,millet's drawings1 at the
 ,boston ,museum of ,fine ,arts4#c  #ab4
 ,the ,gleaners1 a painting first       
exhibited at the ,salon of #ahfg4 ,it   

was sold to ,m4 ,binder of l',isle ,adam
 for #bjjj francs4 ,in #ahhi it was     
purchased by ,madame ,pommeroy for      
#cjj1jjj francs1 and presented to the   
,louvre1 ,paris4 ,a pencil drawing of   
the three figures is in the collection  
of the ,boston ,museum of ,fine ,arts4  
#ac4 ,the ,milkmaid1 painted in #ahga   
from a sketch made in ,grville4 ,seen in
 ,millet's studio in #ahgc by ,will     
,low1 the ,american artist4  #ad4 ,the  
,woman ,churning1 one of several        
versions of the subject1 the first of   
which appeared in #ahgj4  #ae4 ,the ,man
 with the ,hoe1 painted in #ahfb and    
exhibited at the ,salon of #ahfc4 ,sold 
to a ,belgian collector1 and long in    
,brussels4 ,it is now owned by ,mr4     
,w4,s4 ,crocker of ,san ,francisco1     
,cal4   ,footnote #a3 ,see ,d4,c4       
,thomson's ,barbizon ,school1 pp4 #bbf1 
#bbg4  ,footnote #b3 ,see ,julia        
,cartwright1 ,life and ,letters of ,jean
 ,franois ,millet1 pp4 #aad1aae4        
,footnote #c3 ,this is one of an        

interesting collection of drawings in   
this museum1 which also contains several
 original paintings by ,millet1 a       
,shepherdess1 seated1 a portrait of the 
painter1 and others4 ,other fine        
,millets are in the private collections 
of ,boston1 where the painter received  
early appreciation1 owing to the        
enthusiasm of ,william ,morris ,hunt1   
the painter1 and such connoisseurs as   
,mr4 ,quincy ,shaw and ,mr4 ,brimmer4   
,,iv4 ,,outline ,,table ,,of ,,the      
,,principal ,,events ,,in ,,millet',s   
,,life   #ahad4  ,millet born1 ,october 
#d1 in hamlet of ,gruchy1 commune of    
,grville1 in         the old province of
 ,normandy1 ,france4  #ahcb4  ,two      
months' study with ,mouchel in          
,cherbourg4            ,death of        
,millet's father4            ,study with
 ,langlois in ,cherbourg4  #ahcg4       
,removal to ,paris1 supported by annuity
 of #djj francs from the                
municipality of ,cherbourg4#a           
#ahcg-ahci 7874 ,studies with           

,delaroche4#b  #ahdj4  ,a portrait of   
,m4,l4,f4 exhibited at ,salon of the    
,louvre4  #ahda4  ,portrait of          
,mademoiselle ,antoinette ,feuardent4   
,marriage with ,mademoiselle ,pauline   
,virginie ,ono in ,cherbourg4  #ahdb4   
,returned to ,paris4  #ahdd4  ,millet   
exhibited at ,salon3 the ,milkmaid1 the 
,riding ,lesson4            ,death of   
,millet's wife1 ,april #ba1 and         
,millet's return home for               
#ah months4  #ahde4  ,marriage with     
,catherine ,lemaire late in summer1 in  
,grville4            ,visit in ,havre in
 ,november4            ,arrival in      
,paris in ,december1 and residence in   
the rue             ,rochehouart4       
#ahdg4  ,oedipus taken from the ,tree   
exhibited at the ,salon4  #ahdh4        
,millet exhibited at the ,salon the     
,winnower1 bought by ,m4                
,ledru-,rollin for #ejj francs1 and the 
,captivity of the ,jews in              
,babylon4  #ahdi4  ,removal to          
,barbizon4  #ahej4  ,the ,sower painted 

and exhibited at the ,salon with the    
,sheaf ,binders4  #ahea4  ,death of     
,millet's grandmother1 ,louise ,jumelin1
 at ,gruchy4  #ahec4  ,death of         
,millet's mother at ,gruchy4            
,millet exhibited at the ,salon3--      
,ruth and ,boaz1 bought by an ,american4
              ,the ,sheep ,shearer1     
bought by ,william ,morris              
,the ,shepherd1      ,hunt4  #ahed4     
,visit four months to the surroundings  
of the old home in ,normandy4  #ahee4   
,the ,grafter1 exhibited at the ,salon4 
#ahef4  ,le ,pare aux ,moutons painted4 
#aheg4  ,the ,gleaners exhibited at the 
,salon4  #ahei4  ,the ,angelus exhibited
 at the ,salon4  #ahfj-ahfa4 ,the       
,shepherd in the ,fold by ,moonlight1   
and the ,femme aux ,seaux4  #ahfa4  ,the
 ,potato ,planters painted4             
,millet exhibited at the ,salon of the  
,champs ,elyses3              ,feeding  
,her ,birds4              ,waiting4     
,the ,sheep ,shearer4  #ahfb4  ,list of 
pictures painted3--                     

,winter4              ,the ,crows4      
,sheep ,feeding4              ,the ,wool
 ,carder4              ,the ,stag4      
,the ,birth of the ,calf4               
,the ,shepherdess4              ,the    
,man with the ,hoe4  #ahfc4  ,millet    
sent to ,salon3 ,man with the ,hoe1 ,the
 ,wool ,carder 7see list of             
works in #ahfb71 and a ,shepherd        
bringing ,home his ,sheep4  #ahfd4      
,millet exhibited at the ,salon3 ,the   
,shepherdess1 and ,the ,birth of the    
,calf 7see list of works in #ahfb74     
#ahfe4  ,completion of decorative       
pictures for ,m4 ,thomas3 ,spring and   
,summer1         panels #h by #d ft41   
set in the woodwork2 ,autumn for the    
ceiling2         ,winter for the        
chimneypiece4  #ahff4  ,short visit to  
,vichy1 ,auvergne1 ,clermont1 ,issoire4 
#ahfg4  ,millet exhibited at the        
,exposition ,universelle 7,international
         ,exhibition73--                
,death and the ,woodcutter 7refused by  
the ,salon of #ahei74              ,the 

,gleaners4              ,the            
,shepherdess4              ,the ,sheep  
,shearer4              ,the ,shepherd4  
,the ,sheep ,fold4              ,the    
,potato ,planters4              ,the    
,potato ,harvest4              ,the     
,angelus4            ,visit to ,vichy in
 ,june4  #ahfg-fi4 ,the ,pig ,killers4  
#ahfh4  ,millet made ,chevalier of the  
,legion of ,honor1 ,august #ac4         
,journey with ,sensier in ,alsace and   
,switzerland1 ,september4  #ahgj4       
,millet elected1 ,march #bd1 juror for  
coming exposition4            ,the      
,woman ,churning exhibited at the       
,salon4            ,departure for       
,grville on account of danger of        
remaining             in ,barbizon      
during the war4  #ahga4  ,return to     
,barbizon ,november #g4  #ahgd4  ,order 
from ,administration of ,beaux ,arts for
 mural decorations in         the       
,panthon 7,ste4 ,genevive71 ,paris4     
,the ,priory painted4  #ahge4  ,death of
 ,millet1 ,january #bj1 at ,barbizon4   

,footnote #a3 ,to this was added later  
#fjj francs from the ,general ,council  
of ,la ,manche1 but both annuities were 
soon discontinued4  ,footnote #b3 ,the  
exact date of ,millet's severing        
connection with ,delaroche is not       
mentioned by his biographers1 though the
 circumstances are detailed4     ,v4    
,,some ,,of ,,millet',s ,,associates    
,companions in the studio of            
,delaroche3--   ,charles ,franois ,hbert
 7#ahag- 74   ,jalabert 7#ahai- 74      
,thomas ,couture 7#ahae-ahgi74          
,edouard ,frre 7#ahai-ahhf74   ,adolphe 
,yvon 7#ahag- 74   ,antigna             
7#ahah-ahgh74   ,prosper ,louis ,roux   
7#ahag- 74   ,marolle4   ,cavalier1     
sculptor4   ,gendron 7#ahag-ahha74      
,friends and neighbors in ,paris3--     
,couture 7also fellow student in studio 
of ,delaroche74   ,tourneaux            
7#ahji-ahfg71 painter and poet4   ,diaz 
7#ahjh-ahgf71 landscape painter4        
,joseph ,guichard 7#ahcf-ahgg71 marine  
painter4   ,charles ,jacque 7#ahac- 71  

etcher4   ,camprdon4   ,schan1 clever   
scene painter4   ,diterle1 clever scene 
painter4   ,eugne ,lacoste4   ,azevdo1  
musical critic4  ,friends at            
,barbizon3--   ,charles ,jacque 7who    
removed thither with him74   ,diaz 7also
 a friend of the ,paris days74   ,corot 
7#agif-ahge74   ,theodore ,rousseau     
7#ahab-ahfg74   ,laure 7#ahjf-ahfa74    
,william ,morris ,hunt1 ,american       
painter4   ,mr4 ,hearn1 ,american       
painter4   ,mr4 ,babcock1 ,american     
painter4   ,edward ,wheelwright1        
,american painter4   ,wyatt ,eaton1     
,american painter4   ,will ,low1        
,american painter4     ,i  ,,going ,,to 
,,work   ,on the other side of the      
,atlantic ,ocean1 where the sea forms a 
narrow channel separating the ,british  
,isles from the ,european continent1    
lies that part of ,france known as the  
old province of ,normandy4 ,there is    
here a very dangerous and precipitous   
coast lined with granite cliffs4 ,the   
villages along the sea produce a hardy  

race of peasants who make bold fishermen
 on the water and thrifty farmers on the
 land4  ,to this ,norman peasant stock  
belonged ,jean ,franois ,millet1 the    
painter of the pictures reproduced in   
this little book4 ,he was brought up to 
hard out-of-door labor on his father's  
farm in the village of ,grville1 but    
when the artistic impulses within him   
could no longer be repressed1 he left   
his home to study art4 ,though he became
 a famous painter1 he always remained at
 heart a true peasant4 ,he set up his   
home and his studio in a village called 
,barbizon1 near the ,forest of          
,fontainebleau1 not many miles from     
,paris4 ,here he devoted all his gifts  
to illustrating the life of the tillers 
of the soil4 ,his subjects were drawn   
both from his immediate surroundings and
 from the recollections of his youth4   
,since ,i have never in all my life     
known anything but the fields1 he said1 
,i try to say1 as best ,i can1 what ,i  
saw and felt when ,i worked there4 ,it  

is now a quarter of a century since the 
painter's life work ended1 and in these 
years some few changes have been made in
 the customs and costumes which         
,millet's pictures represented4 ,such   
changes1 however1 are only outward2 the 
real life of peasant labor is always the
 same4 ,seedtime and harvest1 toil1     
weariness and rest1 the ties of home and
 of religion1 are subjects which never  
grow old fashioned4  ,in ,france the    
farm labors are shared by men and women 
alike4 ,the peasant woman is sturdily   
built1 and her healthy out-of-door life 
makes her very strong4 ,she is fitted by
 nature and training to work beside the 
men in the fields4 ,in our first picture
 we see a young man and woman starting  
out together for the day's work4  ,it is
 morning1 and the early sun illumines   
the distant plain1 where ploughing has  
already begun4 ,the light falls on the  
two figures as they walk down the       
sloping hillside4  ,they are dressed for
 their work in clothing which is plain  

and coarse1 but which is perfectly      
suited for the purpose4 ,the ,french    
peasants' working clothes are usually of
 strong homespun cloth1 fashioned in the
 simplest way1 to give the wearers      
entire ease in motion4 ,they are in the 
dull blues1 browns1 and reds which      
delight the artist's eye4 ,such colors  
grow softer and more beautiful as they  
fade1 so that garments of this kind are 
none the less attractive for being old4 
,ragged clothing is seldom seen among   
peasants4 ,they are too thrifty and     
self-respecting to make an untidy       
appearance4  ,illustration3 ,from a     
carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4   
,john ,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4 ,,going ,,to  
,,work  ,the men wear soft felt hats1   
the brim of which can be pulled forward 
to shade the eyes4 ,the women cover     
their heads neatly with caps or         
kerchiefs1 and are nearly always seen   
with aprons4 ,men and women both wear   
the heavy wooden shoes called sabots1 in
 which the feet suffer no pressure as   

from leather shoes1 and are protected   
against the moisture of the ground4     
,the peasants of our picture carry all  
they need for the day's work4 ,a        
three-pronged fork rests across the     
man's shoulder1 and a wallet of lunch   
hangs from his left arm4 ,the woman has 
a basket1 a linen sack1 and a bit of    
rope4 ,evidently something is to be     
brought home4 ,just now she has swung   
the empty basket up over her shoulders  
and it covers her head like a huge      
sunbonnet4  ,the two young people are   
full of the healthy vigor which makes   
work a pleasure4 ,they go cheerfully to 
their day's task as if they really      
enjoyed it4 ,we cannot help suspecting  
that they are lovers4 ,the man carries  
himself erect with a conscious air of   
manliness1 and steps briskly1 with his  
hand thrust into his pocket4 ,the girl  
hides her shyness in the shadow of the  
basket as she turns her face towards    
his4 ,the two swing along buoyantly1    
keeping step as if accustomed to walking

 together4  ,at the close of the day's  
work the basket and sack will be filled1
 and the laborers will return to their  
home by the same way4 ,the burden may be
 heavy1 but they will bear it as the    
reward of their toil4  ,the picture of  
,going to ,work was painted at about the
 same time#a as the ,the ,sower1 which  
forms one of the later illustrations of 
our collection4 ,a comparison of the    
pictures will show interesting points of
 resemblance between the two men        
striding down hill4 ,though ,going to   
,work is not as a work of art of equal  
rank with ,the ,sower1 we get in both   
pictures a delightful sense of motion   
which makes the figures seem actually   
alive4   ,footnote #a3 ,that is1 within 
a year4 ,see dates in the ,historical   
,directory4     ,,ii  ,,the ,,knitting  
,,lesson   ,in the picture we have been 
examining we have seen something of the 
outdoor life of the ,french peasants1   
and now we are shown the interior of one
 of their houses1 where a ,knitting     

,lesson is being given4 ,the girls of   
the ,french peasantry are taught only   
the plainest kinds of needlework4 ,they 
have to begin to make themselves useful 
very early in life1 and knitting is a   
matter of special importance4 ,in these 
large families many pairs of stockings  
are needed1 and all must be homemade4   
,this is work which the little girls can
 do while the mother is busy with       
heavier labors4 ,the knitting work      
becomes a girl's constant companion1 and
 there are few moments when her hands   
are idle4  ,the little girl in our      
picture is still a beginner in the art1 
and the lesson is a very exciting       
occasion to her4 ,already she feels like
 a woman4  ,the mother and daughter have
 their chairs by the window to get a    
good light on the work4 ,it is a large  
and beautiful casement window1 of the   
kind almost universal in ,france1       
opening lengthwise in the middle in two 
parts which swing on hinges like doors4 
,the window seat serves as a table1 to  

hold the basket and scissors4 ,the doll 
is thrust into the corner2 our little   
girl has put away childish things--at   
least for the moment1--and takes her    
task very seriously4  ,the two chairs   
are drawn close together1 the one a     
small counterpart of the other4 ,the    
child braces her feet firmly on one of  
the rounds and bends her whole mind to  
her work4 ,both mother and daughter wear
 close white caps1 though the little    
girl's is of a more childish pattern and
 does not cover her pretty hair in      
front4  ,the mother has been sewing on  
some large garment which lies across her
 lap4 ,she lets the little girl work by 
herself for a time1 and then stops to   
set her right4 ,already a considerable  
length of stocking has been made1 but   
this is a place where close attention is
 needed4 ,perhaps it is time to begin   
shaping the heel4 ,the mother's work is 
left altogether for a moment4 ,putting  
her arm about the child's shoulder1 she 
takes the two little hands in hers1 and 

guides the fingers holding the needles4 
,we get some idea of the quaint style of
 the building from this glimpse of the  
living-room4 ,probably it is a low stone
 cottage with thatched or tiled roof4   
,the deep window seat shows how thick   
the walls are4 ,overhead we see the oak 
rafters4  ,the room looks spotlessly    
clean1 as a good housewife's should4    
,though we see only a corner1 that      
corner holds the most precious household
 possession1 the linen chest4 ,it stands
 against the wall1 and is of generous   
size4 ,french country people take great 
pride in storing up a quantity of linen2
 tablecloths1 sheets1 shirts1           
pillowcases1 often of their own weaving1
 are piled in the deep clothes-presses4 
,in well-to-do families there are enough
 for six months' use1 the family washing
 taking place only twice a year1 in     
spring and fall1 like house-cleaning in 
,america4 ,we judge that our housekeeper
 is well provided1 by the pile of neatly
 folded sheets on the press4 ,the little

 clock1 high on the wall1 and the vase  
of flowers on the chest are the only    
touches of ornament in the room4 ,on the
 wall are some small objects which look 
like shuttles for weaving4              
,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by  
,braun1 ,clment  ,co ,john ,andrew      
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,knitting ,,lesson    
,as we look at the picture we feel sure 
that ,millet was a lover of children1   
and it is pleasant to know that he had  
many of his own4 ,the artist father was 
his children's favorite playmate1 and at
 the close of his day's work in his     
studio1 they ran to meet him with shouts
 of joy4 ,he used to like to walk about 
the garden with them showing them the   
flowers4 ,in winter time they sat       
together by the fire1 and the father    
sang songs and drew pictures for the    
little ones4 ,sometimes taking a log    
from the wood basket he would carve a   
doll out of it1 and paint the cheeks    
with vermilion4 ,this is the sort of    
doll we see on the window seat in our   

picture4  ,ruskin tells us that a true  
artist feels like a caged bird in       
painting any enclosed space1 unless it  
contains some opening like a door or    
window4 ,no amount of beauty will       
content us1 he says1 if we are shut in  
to that alone4 ,our picture is a good   
proof of this principle4 ,we can easily 
fancy how different the effect would be 
without the window3 the room would      
appear almost like a prisoner's cell4   
,as it is1 the great window suggests the
 out-of-door world into which it opens1 
and gives us a sense of larger space4   
,our illustration is taken from a       
drawing4 ,millet was a painstaking      
artist who made many drawings and       
studies for his paintings4 ,this is     
probably such a study1 as there is also 
a painting by him of the same subject   
very similar to this4     ,,iii  ,,the  
,,potato ,,planters   ,in the picture   
called ,the ,potato ,planters we are    
reminded at once of the peasants we have
 already seen in ,going to ,work4 ,we   

see here married people a few years     
older than the young people of the other
 picture working together in the fields4
  ,it may be that this is their own     
little plot of ground1 for they work    
with a certain air of proprietorship4   
,they look prosperous1 too1 and are     
somewhat better dressed than common     
laborers4 ,it is the highest ambition of
 the ,french peasant to own a bit of    
land4 ,he will make any sacrifice to get
 it1 and possessing it1 is well content4
 ,he labors with constant industry to   
make it yield well4  ,the field here is 
at quite a distance from the village    
where the workers live4 ,we can see the 
little group of houses on the horizon4  
,in ,france the agricultural classes do 
not build their dwelling-houses on their
 farms1 but live instead in village     
communities1 with the farms in the      
outlying districts4 ,the custom has many
 advantages4 ,the families may help one 
another in various ways both by joining 
forces and exchanging services4 ,they   

may also share in common the use of     
church1 school1 and post office4 ,this  
,french farming system has been adopted 
in ,canada1 while in our own country we 
follow the ,english custom of building  
isolated farmhouses4  ,in working season
 the ,french farmer must go daily to his
 labor at a distance4 ,the people in our
 picture are fortunate enough to own a  
donkey which is their burden-bearer     
between house and field4 ,the strong    
little creature can carry a heavy load  
properly disposed in pannier baskets4   
,the panniers are made very deep and    
wide1 but rather flat1 so as to fit the 
sides of the donkey4 ,with one of these 
hanging on each side of the saddle1 the 
weight of the burden is so well         
distributed that it is easily borne4    
,the donkey of our picture has been     
relieved of his panniers1 and now rests 
in the shade of some apple-trees4 ,one  
of the baskets is in the mean time put  
to a novel use4 ,made soft and warm with
 a heavy cloak1 it forms a nice cradle  

for the baby4 ,the babies in ,french    
peasant families are often left at home 
with the grandmother1 while the mother  
goes out to field work4 ,the painter    
,millet himself was in childhood the    
special charge of his grandmother1 while
 his mother labored on the farm4 ,the   
people of our picture have another and1 
as it seems1 a much pleasanter plan1 in 
going to the field as a family party4   
,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by  
,braun1 ,clment  ,co ,john ,andrew      
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,potato ,,planters    
,the day is well advanced and the work  
goes steadily on4 ,it is potato         
planting1 and the potato crop is of     
great importance to country people1     
second perhaps to the wheat1 as it      
supplies food to both man and beast4    
,the commoner varieties1 as the large   
white1 are raised for cattle1 and the   
finer and sweeter kinds1 the red and the
 yellow1 are kept for the table4  ,the  
laborer and his wife move along the     
field1 facing each other on opposite    

sides of the row they are planting4 ,the
 man turns the sod with his hoe1 a      
short-handled tool which long practice  
has taught him to use skilfully4 ,the   
wife carries the potato seed in her     
apron1 and as her husband lifts each    
spadeful of earth1 she throws the seed  
into the hole thus made4 ,he holds the  
hoe suspended a moment while the seed   
drops in1 and then replaces the earth   
over it4 ,the two work in perfect       
unison1 each following the other's      
motion with mechanical regularity1 as   
they move down the field together4  ,the
 two who work so well together in the   
field are sure to work well together in 
the home4 ,the man has the serious1     
capable look of a provident husband4    
,the woman looks like a good housewife4 
,that shapely hand throwing the seed so 
deftly into the ground is well adapted  
to domestic tasks4  ,we may easily      
identify our picture as a familiar scene
 in ,millet's ,barbizon surroundings4   
,we are told that upon all sides of     

,barbizon1 save one1 the plain stretches
 almost literally as far as the eye can 
reach1 and presents a generally level   
and open surface4 ,there are no isolated
 farmhouses1 and no stone walls1 fences1
 or hedges1 except immediately around   
the villages2 and were it not all under 
cultivation1 the plain might be taken   
for a vast common4#a  ,it is evident1   
then1 that we here see the plain of     
,barbizon and true ,barbizon peasants of
 ,millet's day4 ,the villagers of the   
painter's acquaintance were on the whole
 a prosperous class1 nearly all owning  
their houses and a few acres of ground4 
,the big apple-tree under which the     
donkey rests is just such an one as grew
 in ,millet's own little garden4  ,fruit
 trees were his peculiar delight4 ,he   
knew all their ways1 and all their      
special twists and turnings2 how the    
leaves of the apple-tree are bunched    
together on their twigs1 and how the    
roots spread under ground4 ,any artist1 
he used to say1 can go to the ,east and 

paint a palm-tree1 but very few can     
paint an apple-tree4   ,footnote #a3    
,from ,edward ,wheelwright's            
,recollections of ,jean ,franois        
,millet1 in ,atlantic ,monthly1         
,september1 #ahgf4     ,,iv  ,,the      
,,woman ,,sewing ,,by ,,lamplight       
,though the peasant women of ,france    
have so large a share in the laborious  
out-of-door work on the farms1 they are 
not unfitted for domestic duties4 ,in   
the long winter evenings they devote    
themselves to more distinctly woman's   
tasks1 knitting and sewing1 sometimes   
even spinning and weaving4 ,their       
housekeeping is very simple1 for they   
live frugally1 but they know how to make
 the home comfortable4 ,many modern     
inventions are still unknown to them1   
and we should think their customs very  
primitive1 but on this account they are 
perhaps even more picturesque4  ,there  
is contentment in every line of the face
 of this ,woman ,sewing by ,lamplight4  
,it is the face of a happy young wife   

and mother4 ,she sits close by her      
baby's bedside that she may listen to   
his gentle breathing as he sleeps1 and  
she smiles softly to herself while she  
sews4 ,it is a sweet face which bends   
over the work1 and it is framed in the  
daintiest of white caps edged with a    
wide ruffle which is turned back over   
the hair above the forehead1 that it may
 not shade her eyes4  ,the garment that 
lies on her lap is of some coarse heavy 
material4 ,no dainty bit of fancy work  
is this1 but a plain piece of mending4  
,it may be the long cloak which the     
shepherd wraps about him in cold and    
stormy weather4 ,made from the wool     
grown on his own sheep1 spun by his     
wife's own hand1 it is unrivalled among 
manufactured cloths for warmth and      
comfort4 ,the needle is threaded with a 
coarse thread of wool1 which the sewer  
draws deftly through the cloth4  ,on a  
pole which runs from floor to ceiling is
 a hook1 from which a lamp is suspended 
by a chain4 ,this lamp appears to be a  

boat-shaped vessel with the wick coming 
out at one end4 ,the light gilds the    
mother's gentle profile with shining    
radiance2 it illumines the fingers of   
her right hand1 and gleams on the coarse
 garment in her lap1 transforming it    
into a cloth of gold4  ,illustration3   
,from a carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment 
,co4 ,,the ,,woman ,,sewing ,,by        
,,lamplight ,john ,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4   
,the baby meanwhile lies on the other   
side of the lamp in the shadow4 ,his    
little mouth is open1 and he is fast    
asleep4 ,we can almost fancy that the   
mother croons a lullaby as she sews4    
,there is a pathetic little ,french song
 called ,la ,petite ,hlne1 which        
,millet's mother used to sing to him1   
and which he in turn taught his own     
children4 ,perhaps we could not         
understand the words if we could hear   
it4 ,but when mothers sing to their     
babies1 whatever the tongue in which    
they speak1 they use a common language  
of motherhood4 ,some such simple little 

lullaby as this1 which mothers of       
another land sing to their babes1 would 
doubtless interpret this mother's       
thoughts3--    ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6     
,thy father watches the sheep2   ,thy   
mother is shaking the dreamland tree1   
,and down comes a little dream on thee4 
,sleep1 baby1 sleep6    ,sleep1 baby1   
sleep6   ,the large stars are the sheep2
   ,the little ones are the lambs1 ,i   
guess3   ,the gentle moon is the        
shepherdess1   ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6     
,sleep1 baby1 sleep6   ,our ,saviour    
loves his sheep2   ,he is the ,lamb of  
,god on high   ,who for our sakes came  
down to die4   ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6     
,when we remember that the ancient      
,romans had lamps constructed somewhat  
like that in the picture1 it seems      
strange that so rude a contrivance      
should be in use in the nineteenth      
century4 ,but this is only the practical
 and prosaic side of the question4 ,for 
artistic purposes the lamp is just what 
is wanted in the composition4  ,you can 

see how a lamp with a glass chimney and 
shade would spoil the whole effect4 ,we 
should lose that strange beautiful halo 
surrounding the wick1 and the light     
would fall only on the work1 instead of 
glorifying the face of the mother4      
,these wonderful impressions of light   
add much to the artistic beauty of the  
picture1 and explain why artists have so
 greatly admired it4  ,the picture      
naturally recalls that other ,mother and
 ,babe1 ,mary of ,nazareth and the holy 
,child ,jesus1 who for so many centuries
 have inspired the imagination of       
artists4 ,often a painter has drawn his 
first conception for this sacred subject
 from some peasant mother and child such
 as these4  ,in order to give religious 
significance to their pictures1 artists 
have tried in many ways to suggest the  
supernatural4 ,they have introduced     
halos about the heads of ,mary and      
,jesus1 and have made the light seem to 
shine mysteriously from the child's     
body4 ,now our painter ,millet1         

representing only an ordinary mother and
 babe1 has not used any such methods4   
,nevertheless1 without going beyond     
strict reality1 he has produced a       
mystical effect of light which makes    
this picture worthy of a place among the
 ,madonnas4 ,the glow of the lamp       
transforms the familiar scene into a    
shrine of mother's love4     ,v  ,,the  
,,shepherdess   ,many years ago the     
early ,english poet1 ,sir ,philip       
,sidney1 wrote a book about an imaginary
 country called ,arcadia1 noted for the 
sweetness of the air and the gentle     
manners of the people4 ,as he described 
the beauties of the scenery there1 he   
told of meadows enamelled with all sorts
 of eye-pleasing flowers2 each pasture  
stored with sheep feeding with sober    
security2 here a shepherd's boy piping  
as though he should never be old2 there 
a young shepherdess knitting and withal 
singing1 and it seemed that her voice   
comforted her hands to work1 and her    
hands kept time to her voice-music4  ,we

 could easily fancy that our picture of 
the ,shepherdess was meant to illustrate
 a scene in ,arcadia4 ,here is the      
meadow enamelled with eye-pleasing      
flowers1 the sheep feeding with sober   
security1 and the young shepherdess     
herself knitting4 ,though she is not    
singing with her lips1 her heart sings  
softly as she knits1 and her hands keep 
time to the dream-music4  ,early in the 
morning she led her flock out to the    
fallow pastures which make good grazing 
ground4 ,all day long the sheep have    
nibbled the green herbage at their own  
sweet will1 always under the watchful   
eye of their gentle guardian4 ,her hands
 have been busy all the time4 ,like     
patient ,griselda in ,chaucer's poem1   
who did her spinning while she watched  
her sheep1 she would not have been idle 
till she slept4 ,ever since she learned 
at her mother's knee those early lessons
 in knitting1 she has kept the needles  
flying4 ,she can knit perfectly well now
 while she follows her flock about4 ,the

 work almost knits itself while her eyes
 and thoughts are engaged in other      
occupations4  ,the little shepherdess   
has an assistant too1 who shares the    
responsibilities of her task4 ,he is a  
small black dog1 patient and full of    
importance and grand in the pride of his
 instinct4#a ,when a sheep is tempted by
 an enticing bit of green in the        
distance to stray from its companions1  
the dog quickly bounds after the runaway
 and drives it back to the flock4 ,only 
the voice of the shepherdess is needed  
to send him hither1 thither1 and yon on 
such errands4  ,now nightfall comes1 and
 it is time to lead the flock home to   
the sheepfold4 ,the sheep are gathered  
into a compact mass1 the ram in their   
midst4 ,the shepherdess leads the way1  
and the dog remains at the rear1 walking
 from side to side with a lordly air1 to
 allow no wanderer to escape4           
,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by  
,braun1 ,clment  ,co4 ,john ,andrew     
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,shepherdess  ,their  

way lies across the plain whose level   
stretch is unbroken by fences or        
buildings4 ,in the distance men may be  
seen loading a wagon with hay4 ,the     
sheep still keep on nibbling as they go1
 and their progress is slow4 ,the       
shepherdess takes time to stop and rest 
now and then1 propping her staff in     
front of her while she picks up a stitch
 dropped in her knitting4 ,there is a   
sense of perfect stillness in the air1  
that calm silence of the fields1 which  
,millet once said was the gayest thing  
he knew in nature4  ,the chill of       
nightfall is beginning to be felt1 and  
the shepherdess wears a hood and cape4  
,her face shows her to be a dreamer4    
,these long days in the open air give   
her many visions to dream of4 ,her      
companionship with dumb creatures makes 
her more thoughtful1 perhaps1 than many 
girls of her age4  ,as a good           
shepherdess she knows her sheep well    
enough to call them all by name4 ,from  
their soft wool was woven her warm cape 

and hood1 and there is a genuine        
friendship between flock and mistress4  
,when she goes before them1 they follow 
her1 for they know her voice4  ,among   
the traditions dear to the hearts of the
 ,french people is one of a saintly     
young shepherdess of ,nanterre1 known as
 ,ste4 ,genevive4 ,like the shepherdess 
of our picture1 she was a dreamer1 and  
her strange visions and wonderful       
sanctity set her apart from childhood   
for a great destiny4 ,she grew up to be 
the saviour of ,paris1 and to-day her   
name is honored in a fine church        
dedicated to her memory4 ,it was the    
crowning honor of ,millet's life that he
 was commissioned to paint on the walls 
of this church scenes from the life of  
,ste4 ,genevive4 ,he did not live to do 
the work1 but one cannot help believing 
that his ideals of the maiden of        
,nanterre must have taken some such     
shape as this picture of the            
,shepherdess4  ,in the painting from    
which our illustration is reproduced1   

the colors are rich and glowing4 ,the   
girl's dress is blue and her cap a      
bright red4 ,the light shining on her   
cloak turns it a rich golden brown4     
,earth and sky are glorified by the     
beautiful sunset light4  ,as we look    
across the plain1 the earth seems to    
stretch away on every side into infinite
 distance4 ,we are carried out of       
ourselves into the boundless liberty of 
,god's great world4 ,the still small    
voice of the level twilight speaks to us
 out of the calm and luminous distance4 
,ruskin has sought to explain the       
strange attractive power which luminous 
space has for us4 ,there is one thing   
that it has1 or suggests1 he says1 which
 no other object of sight suggests in   
equal degree1 and that is1--,infinity4  
,it is of all visible things the least  
material1 the least finite1 the farthest
 withdrawn from the earth prison-house1 
the most typical of the nature of ,god1 
the most suggestive of the glory of his 
dwelling place4#b   ,footnote #a3 ,like 

the watchdog described in ,longfellow's 
,evangeline1 ,part ,,ii4  ,footnote #b3 
,in ,modern ,painters1 in chapter on    
,infinity1 from which also the other    
quotations are drawn4     ,,vi  ,,the   
,,woman ,,feeding ,,hens   ,in walking  
through a ,french village1 we get as    
little idea of the home life of the     
people as if we were in a large town or 
city4 ,the houses usually border        
directly upon the street1 and the spaces
 between are closed with high walls1    
shutting in the thoroughfare as         
completely as in a city block4 ,behind  
these barriers each family carries on   
its domestic affairs in the privacy of  
its own domain4 ,the cour1 or dooryard1 
is the enclosure adjoining the house1   
and is surrounded on all sides by       
buildings or walls4 ,beyond this the    
more prosperous have also a garden or   
orchard1 likewise surrounded by high    
walls4  ,in the dooryard are performed  
many of the duties both of the barn and 
the house4 ,here the cows are milked1   

the horses groomed1 the sheep sheared1  
and the poultry fed4 ,here1 too1 is the 
children's playground1 safe from the    
dangers of the street1 and within       
hearing of the mother's voice4  ,it is  
into such a dooryard that we seem to be 
looking in this picture of ,the ,woman  
,feeding ,hens4 ,it is a common enough  
little house which we see1 built of     
stone1 plastered over1 in the fashion of
 the ,french provinces1 and very low4   
,in the long wall from the door to the  
garden gate is only one small high      
window4 ,but time and nature have done  
much to beautify the spot4 ,in the      
cracks of the roof1 thatched or tiled1  
whichever it may be1 many a vagrant seed
 has found lodgment4 ,the weeds have    
grown up in profusion to cover the bare 
little place with leaf and flower4      
,indeed1 there is here a genuine roof   
garden of the prettiest sort1 and it    
extends along the stone wall separating 
the dooryard from the garden4 ,some one 
who has seen these vine-fringed walls in

 ,barbizon describes them as gay with   
purple orris1 stonecrop1 and pellitory4 
,a young wife presides in the little    
cottage home and rules her side of the  
dooryard with gentle sway4 ,she has a   
curly-haired baby boy who creeps after  
her as she goes about her work4 ,his    
inquiring mind is at this age           
investigating all the corners of the    
house1 and before long he will be the   
young master of the dooryard4  ,the     
housewife boasts a small brood of hens4 
,early in the morning the voice of the  
chanticleer is heard greeting the dawn4 
,presently he leads his family forth to 
begin their day's scratching in the     
dooryard4 ,here and there they wander   
with contented clucks1 as they find now 
and then a worm or grub for a titbit4   
,but it is only a poor living which is  
to be earned by scratching4 ,the thrifty
 housewife sees to it that her brood are
 well fed4 ,at regular times she comes  
out of the house to feed them with      
grain1 as she is doing now4             

,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by  
,braun1 ,clment  ,co4 ,john ,andrew     
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,woman ,,feeding      
,,hens  ,the baby hears the mother's    
voice saying1 in what is the ,french    
equivalent1 ,here chick-chick-chick1 and
 creeps swiftly to the door4 ,he1 too1  
tries to call chick-chick4 ,he watches  
the odd creatures eagerly as they gobble
 up the seed4 ,they stand about in a    
circle1 heads all together in the       
centre1 bobbing up and down as long as  
any food remains4 ,chanticleer holds    
back with true gallantry1 and with an   
air of masculine superiority4 ,the      
belated members of the brood come       
running up as fast as they can4 ,the    
apron holds a generous supply1 so that  
there is enough for all1 but the        
housewife doles it out prudently by the 
handful1 that none may suffer through   
the greediness of the others4  ,as we   
study the lines of the picture a little1
 they teach us some important lessons in
 composition4 ,we note first the series 

of perpendicular lines at regular       
intervals across the width of the       
picture4 ,these counterbalance the      
effect of the long perspective which is 
so skilfully indicated in the drawing of
 the house and the garden walk4 ,the    
perspective is secured chiefly by three 
converging lines1 the roof and ground   
lines of the house1 and the line of the 
garden walk4 ,these lines if extended   
would meet at a single point4  ,once    
more let us recall ,ruskin's teaching in
 regard to enclosed spaces4#a ,the      
artist is unhappy if shut in by         
impenetrable barriers4 ,there must      
always be1 he says1 some way of escape1 
it matters not by how narrow a path1 so 
that the imagination may have its       
liberty4  ,this is the principle which  
our painter has applied in his picture4 
,he wisely gives us a glimpse of the sky
 above1 and shows us the shady vista of 
the garden walk leading to the great    
world beyond4  ,our illustration is from
 a charcoal drawing1 which1 like the    

,knitting ,lesson1 is matched by a      
corresponding painting4   ,footnote #a3 
,in ,modern ,painters in the chapter on 
,infinity4     ,,vii  ,,the ,,angelus   
,the early twilight of autumn has       
overtaken two peasants at the close of a
 day's work in the field4 ,they are     
gathering the potato harvest4 ,the dried
 plants are first pulled up1 and the    
potatoes carefully dug out of the holes4
 ,then the vegetables are taken from the
 furrows by the basketful1 and poured   
into brown linen sacks to be carried    
home on the wheelbarrow4 ,one of these  
sacks is not yet quite full1 and the    
work has been prolonged after sunset4   
,the field is a long way from the       
village1 but in the still air sounds are
 carried far across the plain4 ,suddenly
 the bell of the village church peals   
forth4 ,the man stops digging and       
plunges his fork into the earth1 and the
 woman hastily rises from her stooping  
posture4 ,the ,angelus bell is ringing1 
and it calls them to prayer4  ,three    

times each day1 at sunrise1 midday1 and 
sunset1 this bell reminds the world of  
the birth of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the       
strokes are rung in three groups1       
corresponding to the three parts of ,the
 ,angelus1 which are recited in turn4   
,the first word gives the bell its      
name1--,angelus1 the ,latin for angel4  
,the angel of the ,lord announced to    
,mary1   ,and she conceived of the ,holy
 ,spirit4    ,behold the handmaid of the
 ,lord1   ,be it done unto me according 
to thy word4    ,and the word was made  
flesh   ,and dwelt among us4  ,thus run 
the words of the translation in the     
three couplets into which they are      
separated1 and then this prayer is      
added3 ,we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 pour 
forth thy grace into our hearts2 that as
 we have known the incarnation of thy   
,son ,jesus ,christ by the message of an
 angel1 so by his cross and passion we  
may be brought into the glory of his    
resurrection1 through the same ,jesus   
,christ our ,lord4  ,besides this1 after

 each couplet of the ,angelus1 is       
recited that short hymn of praise1      
beginning with the words which the angel
 of the annunciation addressed to       
,mary1#a ,ave ,maria4 ,this is why the  
hour after sunset is so often called the
 hour of ,ave ,maria4 ,the ,english poet
 ,byron has written of this solemn      
moment3--    ,ave ,maria6 blessed be the
 hour6   ,the time1 the clime1 the spot1
 where ,i so oft   ,have felt that      
moment in its fullest power   ,sink o'er
 the earth so beautiful and soft1       
,while swung the deep bell in the       
distant tower1   ,or the faint dying    
day-hymn stole aloft1   ,and not a      
breath crept through the rosy air1      
,and yet the forest leaves seemed       
stirred with prayer4  ,illustration3    
,from a carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment 
,co4 ,john ,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4 ,,the    
,,angelus  ,the atmosphere of prayer    
pervades the picture4 ,the woman stands 
with bowed head and hands clasped over  
her breast4 ,her whole body sways       

slightly forward in the intensity of her
 devotion4 ,her husband has bared his   
head and holds his hat before him4      
,though he may seem somewhat awkward1 he
 is not less sincerely reverent4  ,the  
sunset light shines on the woman's blue 
apron1 gilds the potato sacks in the    
wheelbarrow1 and gleams along the       
furrows4 ,farther away1 the withered    
plants are heaped in rows of little     
piles4 ,beyond1 the level plain         
stretches to meet the glowing sky1 and1 
outlined on the horizon1 is the spire of
 the church where the bells are ringing4
  ,as the meaning of the picture grows  
upon us1 we can almost hear the ringing 
of the bells4 ,indeed1 to those familiar
 with such scenes in actual life1 the   
impression is very vivid4 ,the friend to
 whom ,millet first showed his painting 
immediately exclaimed1 ,it is the       
,angelus4 ,then you can hear the bells1 
said the artist1 and was content4  ,the 
solemn influence of the picture is      
deepened by the effects of the twilight 

on the plains4 ,a wide outlook across a 
level country1 like a view of the sea1  
is always impressive1 but it has        
peculiar power in the vague light which 
follows the sunset4 ,many poetic natures
 have felt this mystic spell of the     
gloaming as it descends upon the plain4 
,robert ,louis ,stevenson was one of    
these1 and upon visiting ,barbizon he   
described vividly his feelings at such  
an hour4 ,we are told also that ,millet 
loved to walk abroad at nightfall and   
note the mysterious effects of the      
twilight4 ,it is astonishing1 he once   
said to his brother in such a walk1 how 
grand everything on the plain appears1  
towards the approach of night1          
especially when we see the figures      
thrown out against the sky4 ,then they  
look like giants4  ,in nearly all of    
,millet's pictures people are busy doing
 something4 ,either hands or feet1 and  
sometimes both hands and feet1 are in   
motion4 ,they are pictures of action4   
,in the ,angelus1 however1 people are   

resting from labor2 it is a picture of  
repose4 ,the busy hands cease their work
 a moment1 and the spirit rises in      
prayer4 ,we have already seen1 in other 
pictures1 how labor may be lightened by 
love4 ,here we see labor glorified by   
piety4  ,the painting of the ,angelus   
has had a remarkable history4 ,the      
patron for whom it was first intended   
was disappointed with the picture when  
finished1 and ,millet had no little     
difficulty in finding a purchaser4 ,in  
the course of time it became one of the 
most popular works of the painter1 and  
is probably better known in our country 
than any other of his pictures4 ,in     
#ahhi it was bought by an ,american1 and
 was carried on an exhibition tour      
through most of the large cities of the 
,united ,states4 ,finally it returned to
 ,france1 where it is now in the        
collection of ,m4 ,chauchard4  ,the     
,angelus is one of the few of ,millet's 
works which have changed with time4 ,the
 color has grown dark and the canvas has

 cracked somewhat1 owing to the use of  
bitumen in the painting4   ,footnote #a3
 ,hail ,mary2 see ,st4 ,luke1 chapter   
i41 verse #bh4     ,,viii  ,,filling    
,,the ,,water-,,bottles   ,the artist   
,millet loved to draw as well as to     
paint4 ,black and white pictures had    
their charm for him as truly as those in
 color4 ,indeed1 he once said that tone1
 which is the most important part of    
color1 can be perfectly expressed in    
black and white4 ,it is therefore not   
strange that he made many drawings4     
,some of these1 like the ,knitting      
,lesson and the ,woman ,feeding ,hens1  
were1 as we have seen1 studies for      
paintings4 ,the picture called ,filling 
the ,water-,bottles was1 on the other   
hand1 a charcoal drawing1 corresponding 
to no similar painting4 ,it is in itself
 a finished work of art4  ,it is a      
typical ,french river scene which we see
 here1 and it gives us an idea how large
 a part a river may take in the life of 
,french country people4 ,sometimes it is

 the sole source of water for a village4
 ,then it is not only the common village
 laundry1 in which all clothing is      
washed1 but it is also the great village
 fountain1 from which all drinking-water
 is drawn4  ,the women in our picture   
have come to the bank with big earthen  
jars to fill4 ,it is in the cool of     
early morning1 and the mist still lies  
thick over the marshes bordering the    
river4 ,the sun1 seen through the mist1 
looks like a round ball4 ,on the farther
 bank1 where a group of poplars grow1   
some horsemen ride up to ford the       
stream4 ,they1 too1 are setting forth   
early on their day's work4 ,one is      
already half across4  ,the women have   
picked out1 along the marshy bank1 a    
point of land jutting into the river    
like a miniature promontory1 and        
seemingly of firm soil4 ,it is only     
large enough to hold one at a time1 so  
they take turns4 ,one is now filling a  
bottle1 while the other waits1 standing 
beside two jars4  ,the first woman      

kneels on the ground1 and supporting    
herself firmly by placing one hand on   
the edge of the bank1 she grasps the jar
 by the handle1 with her free right     
hand1 and swings it well out over the   
water4 ,experience has taught her the   
most scientific way of filling the jar  
with least muscular strain4 ,she does   
not try to plunge it down into the      
water1 but holding it on its side1      
slightly tipped1 draws it along with the
 mouth half under the surface1 sucking  
in the water as it moves4 ,we see what  
hard1 firm muscles she has to hold the  
arm out so tensely4 ,her arm acts like a
 compass describing the arc of a circle 
through the water with the jar4 ,as we  
look1 we can almost see her completing  
the circle1 and drawing up the full jar 
upon the bank4  ,illustration3 ,from a  
carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4   
,,filling ,,the ,,water-,,bottles ,john 
,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4  ,the woman who     
waits her turn is capable of the same   
feat4 ,there is power in every line of  

her figure as she stands in what has    
been well described by a critic as a    
majestic pose4 ,she straightens back to 
rest1 with her arms on her hips1 quite  
unconscious that there is anything fine 
in her appearance4  ,look a minute and  
you will see that she is the woman of   
the ,angelus4 ,as we saw her in the     
other picture1 with head bowed and hands
 clasped on her breast1 we did not      
realize how grand and strong she was4   
,but raising her head1 throwing back her
 chest1 and putting her arms on her     
sides1 she shows us now her full power4 
,both women are dressed alike in the    
clothing which is now familiar to us    
from the other pictures1--coarse gowns  
made with scanty skirts1 long aprons    
reaching nearly to the bottom of the    
dress1 kerchiefs fastened snugly about  
their heads1 and wooden sabots4 ,we     
could not imagine anything that would   
become them better4 ,it is part of the  
,french nature to understand the art of 
dressing1 and this art is found just as 

truly among the peasants of the         
provinces as in the fashionable world at
 ,paris4  ,the picture is a study in    
black and white which any one who cares 
for drawing will wish to examine        
attentively4 ,he was indeed a master who
 could1 with a single bit of charcoal1  
make us feel the witchery of this early 
morning hour by the river-side4 ,we note
 the many different tones of the        
picture1--the faint soft mist of the    
distant atmosphere over the marshes1    
growing darker on the poplars and the   
hilly bank in the middle distance2 the  
shadow of the bank in the river2 the    
gleam of the sunlight on the calm water 
mid-stream2 the ripples about the jar2  
the sharply defined figures of the      
women1 dark on the side turned from the 
sun2 and the quivering shadow of the    
kneeling woman in the ripple-broken     
water in front4  ,among primitive       
peoples the hour of sunrise was a sacred
 time1 when hymns were sung and         
sacrifices were offered to the          

life-giving sun4 ,the painter ,millet   
has expressed something of the mystic   
solemnity of the hour in this picture4  
,the sun has awakened the world to work1
 and in its strength men and women go   
forth to labor4#a   ,footnote #a3 ,a    
fine passage on the morning occurs in   
,thoreau's second chapter of ,walden4   
,,ix  ,,feeding ,,her ,,birds   ,as we  
have already seen in the picture of the 
,woman ,feeding ,hens1 the dooryard in  
,french village homes is so shut in by  
walls1 that it has the privacy of a     
family living-room4 ,this was the       
arrangement in ,millet's own home at    
,barbizon4 ,the painter was among the   
fortunate ones who had a garden beyond  
the dooryard4 ,at the other end of this 
was his studio1 where he worked many    
hours of the day4 ,it is said that he   
used to leave the door open that he     
might hear the children's voices at     
their play4 ,sometimes1 indeed1 he would
 call them in to look at his pictures1  
and was always much pleased when they   

seemed to understand and like them4 ,we 
may be sure that he often looked across 
the garden to the dooryard where the    
family life was going on1 and at such   
times he must have caught many a pretty 
picture4 ,perhaps our picture of this   
mother feeding her children was         
suggested in this way4  ,three healthy1 
happy children have been playing about  
in the yard1--a girl of six1 her younger
 sister1 and a brother still younger4   
,they are dressed simply1 so as to enjoy
 themselves thoroughly without fear of  
injuring any fine clothes4 ,all three   
wear long aprons and wooden sabots4 ,the
 little girls have their flying hair    
confined in close bonnet caps tied under
 the chin4 ,the boy rejoices in a round 
cap ornamented on top with a button4    
,the sisters take great care of their   
little brother4  ,the toys are of a very
 rude sort and evidently of home        
manufacture4 ,a cart is constructed of a
 board set on clumsy wheels4 ,a doll is 
roughly shaped of wood and wrapped in a 

hood and blanket4 ,there is a basket    
besides1 in which one can gather bits of
 treasure picked up here and there in   
the yard4  ,by and by the play is       
interrupted by a familiar voice4 ,the   
children look up and see their mother   
standing smiling in the doorway4 ,a bowl
 which she has in her hand is still     
steaming1 and an appetizing odor reminds
 them that they are hungry4 ,the basket 
and the cart are hastily dropped1 but   
not the doll1 and they all run to the   
doorstep4 ,the brother is placed in the 
middle and the sisters seat themselves  
on either side4 ,the elder girl still   
holds her doll with maternal solicitude2
 the other two children clasp hands1 and
 the sister's arm is put around the     
boy's neck4  ,illustration3 ,from a     
carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4   
,john ,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4 ,,feeding     
,,her ,,birds  ,meanwhile the mother has
 seated herself directly in front of    
them1 on a low stool such as is used by 
country people as a milking-stool4 ,she 

tips it a little as she leans over to   
feed the children in turn from a        
long-handled wooden spoon4 ,of course   
the first taste is for the little       
brother1 and he stretches out his neck  
eagerly1 opening his mouth wide so as   
not to lose a drop4 ,the sisters look on
 eagerly1 the younger one opening her   
own mouth a little1 quite unconsciously4
 ,an inquisitive hen runs up to see what
 good things there are to eat4 ,in the  
garden beyond1 the father works busily  
at his spading4  ,the name which ,millet
 gave to this picture is the ,french    
word ,becque1 which cannot be translated
 into any corresponding word in         
,english4 ,it means a beakful1 that is1 
the food which the mother bird holds in 
her beak to give to the nestlings4  ,the
 painter had in mind1 you see1 a nestful
 of birds being fed4 ,the similarity    
between the family and the bird life is 
closely carried out in the picture4 ,the
 children sit together as snugly as     
birds in a nest4 ,the mother bends      

toward them in a brooding attitude which
 is like the bird mother's4 ,her        
extended hand suggests a bird's beak1   
tapering to a sharp point at the end of 
the spoon4 ,the young bird's mouth is   
wide open1 and in pops the nice spoonful
 of broth6 ,the house itself is made to 
look like a cosy little nest by the vine
 that embowers it4 ,the sturdy stem runs
 up close by the doorstep and sends out 
over door and window its broad branches 
of beautiful green leaves4  ,and just as
 the father bird watches the nest from  
his perch on some branch of the tree1   
the father at work in the garden can    
look from time to time at the little    
family circle in the doorway4 ,as in the
 picture of the ,woman ,feeding ,hens1  
the house is built of stone covered with
 plaster4 ,the door casing is of large  
ill-matched blocks of stone4 ,the       
dooryard is made to appear much larger  
by the glimpse of the orchard we get    
through the gateway4 ,no out-of-door    
picture is complete which does not show 

something of the beauty of nature4 ,the 
dooryard itself would be a bare place   
but for the shady garden beyond4     ,x 
,,the ,,church ,,at ,,gr,,ville   ,the  
village-commune of ,grville has nothing 
to make it famous except that it was the
 birthplace of the painter ,millet4 ,it 
is at the tip of ,cape ,la ,hague1 which
 juts abruptly from the ,french coast   
into the ,english channel4 ,the cape is 
a steep headland bristling with granite 
rocks and needles1 and very desolate    
seen from the sea4 ,inland it is        
pleasant and fruitful1 with apple       
orchards and green meadows4  ,the       
village life centres about the church1  
for the inhabitants of ,grenville are a 
serious and ,god-fearing people4 ,the   
church is the spot around which cluster 
the most sacred associations of life4   
,here the babies are baptized1 and the  
youths and maidens confirmed2 here the  
young people are married1 and from here 
young and old alike are carried to their
 last resting-place4 ,the building is   

hallowed by the memories of many        
generations of pious ancestors4  ,the   
,millet family lived in an outlying     
hamlet 7,gruchy7 of ,grenville1 and were
 somewhat far from the church4 ,yet they
 had even more associations with it than
 other village families4 ,here our      
painter's father had early shown his    
talent for music at the head of the     
choir of boys who sang at the ,sunday   
service4 ,here at one time his old uncle
 priest1 ,charles ,millet1 held the     
office of vicar and went every morning  
to say mass4  ,among the earliest       
recollections of ,jean ,franois was a   
visit to the church of ,grville at a    
time when some new bells had just been  
bought4 ,they were first to be baptized1
 as was the custom1 before being hung in
 the tower1 and it was while they still 
stood on the ground that the mother     
brought her little boy to see them4 ,i  
well remember how much ,i was impressed1
 he afterwards said1 at finding myself  
in so vast a place as the church1 which 

seemed even more immense than our barn1 
and how the beauty of the big windows1  
with their lozenge-shaped panes1 struck 
my imagination4  ,at the age of twelve  
the boy went to be confirmed at the     
church of ,grville1 and thenceforth had 
another memorable experience to         
associate with the place4 ,the vicar1   
who questioned him1 found him so        
intelligent that he offered to teach him
 ,latin4 ,the lessons led to the poems  
of ,virgil1 which opened a new world to 
him4  ,illustration3 ,from a carbon     
print by ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4 ,john    
,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,church ,,at 
,,gr,,ville  ,years passed2 the boy     
became a man and the man became a famous
 artist4 ,but the path to fame had been 
a toilsome one1 and as ,millet pressed  
on his way he was able to return but    
seldom to the spots he had loved in his 
youth1 and then only on sad errands4 ,at
 length the time came 7#ahga7 when the  
artist brought his entire family to his 
native ,grenville to spend a long summer

 holiday4 ,millet made many sketches of 
familiar scenes which gave him material 
for work for the next three years4 ,one 
of these pictures was that of the       
village church1 which he began to paint 
sitting at one of the windows of the inn
 where the family were staying4  ,if the
 building had lost the grandeur it      
possessed for his childish imagination1 
it was still full of artistic           
possibilities for a beautiful picture4  
,it is a solid structure1 and we fancy  
that the builders did not have far to   
bring the stone of which it is composed4
 ,the great granite cliffs which rise   
from the sea must be an inexhaustible   
quarry4 ,the building is low and broad1 
to withstand the bleak winds4 ,a less   
substantial structure1 perched on this  
plateau1 would be swept over the cliffs 
into the sea4 ,there is something about 
it suggestive of the sturdy character of
 the ,norman peasants themselves1       
strong1 patient1 and enduring4 ,it is   
very old2 the passing years have covered

 the walls with moss1 and nature seems  
to have made the place her own4 ,it is  
as if1 instead of being built with      
hands1 it were a portion of the old     
cliffs themselves4  ,the grassy hillock 
against which the church nestles is     
filled with graves1 a cross here and    
there marking the place where some more 
important personage is buried4 ,here is 
the sacred spot where ,millet's saintly 
old grandmother was laid to rest4 ,a    
rough stone wall surrounds the          
churchyard1 as old and moss-grown as the
 building itself4 ,some stone steps     
leading into the yard are hollowed by   
the feet of many generations of         
worshippers4 ,in the rear is a low stone
 house embowered in trees4  ,the square 
bell-tower lifts a weather-vane against 
the sky1 and the birds flock about it as
 about an old home4 ,the rather steep   
roof is slightly depressed1 as if       
beginning to sink in4  ,with a painter's
 instinct ,millet chose the point of    
view from which all the lines of the    

church would be most beautiful and      
whence we may see to the best advantage 
the quaint outlines of the tower4       
,beside this1 he took for his work the  
day and hour when that great artist1 the
 sun1 could lend most effective help4   
,so we see the simple little building at
 its best4 ,the sky makes a glorious    
background1 with fleecy clouds          
delicately veiling its brilliancy4 ,the 
bright light throws a shadow of the     
tower across the roof1 breaking the     
monotony of its length4 ,the bareness of
 the big barn-like end is softened by   
the shadow in which it is seen4 ,the    
plain side is decorated with the shadows
 of the buttresses and window           
embrasures4  ,the sheep are as much at  
home here as the birds4 ,they nibble    
contentedly in the road by the wall1 and
 are undisturbed by the approach of a   
villager4 ,beyond1 at the left1 is a    
glimpse of the level stretch of the sea4
 ,this is a spot where earth and sky and
 water meet1 where the fishermen from   

the sea and the ploughmen from the      
fields come to worship ,god4     ,,xi   
,,the ,,sower   ,it is nightfall1 and   
the sky is cloudy save where the last   
rays of the setting sun illumine a spot 
on the horizon4 ,while the light lasts1 
the ,sower still holds to his task of   
sowing the seed4 ,a large sack of grain 
is fastened about his body and hangs at 
his left side1 where one end of it is   
grasped firmly in the left hand lest any
 of the precious seed be spilled4 ,into 
this bag he plunges his right hand from 
time to time1 and draws out a handful of
 grain which he flings into the furrow  
as he walks along4  ,the ,sower's task  
ended1 a series of strange              
transformations begins in the life of   
the seed4 ,the winter rain softens and  
swells it1 and when spring comes it     
pushes its way up in a tiny shoot4 ,soon
 the slender blades appear in close     
lines2 by and by the stalks grow tall   
and strong1 and the field is full of the
 beautiful green grain4  ,then the hot  

summer sun shines with ripening power2  
the wheat turns a golden yellow2 the    
ears bend under the weight of the grain1
 and it is time for the harvest4 ,the   
reapers come with sickle and scythe1 and
 the grain is cut1 and bound into great 
sheaves4 ,the thrashing follows1 when   
the ear is shaken off the stalk1 and the
 grain is winnowed4 ,and now the mills  
take up the work1 the golden wheat      
grains are crushed1 and the fine white  
flour which they contain is sifted and  
put into bags4 ,the flour is mixed and  
kneaded and baked1 and at length comes  
forth from the oven a fragrant loaf of  
bread4  ,now bread is a necessity of    
life to the people1 and the supply of   
bread turns on the history of the seed4 
,if the harvest is plenty1 the people   
may eat and be happy4 ,if it is poor1   
they suffer the miseries of hunger4 ,if 
it fails altogether1 they die of        
starvation4 ,it is then a solemn moment 
when the seed is planted4 ,often the    
sower begins his task by tossing a      

handful of grain into the air in the    
sign of a cross1 offering a prayer for a
 blessing on the seed4 ,his is a grave  
responsibility2 every handful of seed   
means many loaves of bread for hungry   
mouths4 ,he must choose the right kind  
of seed for his soil1 the right kind of 
weather for the planting1 and use the   
grain neither too lavishly nor too      
sparingly4#a  ,illustration3 ,from a    
carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4   
,john ,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,sower 
,this is why the ,sower in our picture  
takes his task so seriously4 ,he carries
 in his hand the key to prosperity4 ,he 
is a true king4 ,peasant though he is1  
he feels the dignity of his calling1 and
 bears himself royally4 ,he advances    
with a long swinging stride1 measuring  
his steps rhythmically as if beating    
time to inaudible music4 ,his right arm 
moves to and fro1 swinging from the     
shoulder as on a pivot1 and describing  
the arc of a circle4  ,the hilly field  
in which he works is such as the painter

 ,millet was familiar with in his       
peasant childhood in ,normandy4 ,a yoke 
of oxen are drawing the plough in the   
distance1 as is the custom in that      
province4 ,the ,sower himself is a true 
,norman peasant4  ,it is interesting to 
trace the outlines of the composition4  
,there is first the long line on the    
,sower's right side1 beginning at the   
shoulder and following the outer edge of
 the right leg to the ground4 ,on the   
other side1 curving to meet this1 is a  
line which begins at the top of the     
head1 follows the left arm and the      
overhanging sack1 and is faintly        
continued by the tiny stream of seed    
which leaks from the corner of the bag  
and falls near the ,sower's foot4       
,crossing these curves in the opposite  
direction are the lines of the right arm
 and the left leg4 ,thus the figure is  
painted in strong simple outlines such  
as we see in the statues by great       
sculptors4  ,the line defining the edge 
of the field against the sky1 sloping in

 the direction in which the ,sower      
walks1 adds to the impression of motion 
which is so strongly suggested by the   
picture4 ,as we look1 we almost expect  
to see the ,sower reach the foot of the 
slope1 and stride out of sight1 still   
flinging the grain as he goes4  ,there  
is another thing to note about the      
composition1 and that is the perfect    
proportion of the single figure to the  
canvas which it so completely fills4    
,this was the result of the painter's   
experiments4 ,in the haste of his first 
inspiration he did not allow space      
enough to surround the ,sower4#b ,he    
then carefully traced the figure on a   
larger canvas and made a second picture4
 ,afterwards the same subject was       
repeated in a ,barbizon landscape4  ,our
 ,american poet ,william ,cullen ,bryant
 has written a poem called ,the ,song of
 the ,sower1 which is very suggestive in
 connection with ,millet's painting4#c  
,this is the way the song ends3--       
,brethren1 the sower's task is done1    

,the seed is in its winter bed4   ,now  
let the dark-brown mould be spread1     
,to hide it from the sun1   ,and leave  
it to the kindly care   ,of the still   
earth and brooding air1   ,as when the  
mother1 from her breast1   ,lays the    
hushed babe apart to rest1   ,and shades
 its eyes1 and waits to see   ,how sweet
 its waking smile will be4   ,the       
tempest now may smite1 the sleet   ,all 
night on the drowned furrow beat1   ,and
 winds that1 from the cloudy hold1   ,of
 winter breathe the bitter cold1        
,stiffen to stone the yellow mould1     
,yet safe shall lie the wheat2   ,till1 
out of heaven's unmeasured blue   ,shall
 walk again the genial year1   ,to wake 
with warmth and nurse with dew   ,the   
germs we lay to slumber here4           
,footnote #a3 ,for farmer's lore as to  
the diverse soils and diverse planting  
seasons1 see ,virgil's ,eclogues1 books 
i4 and ii4  ,footnote #b3 ,in spite of  
this imperfection the first ,sower is a 
highly prized painting and is in the    

,quincy-,shaw ,collection1 ,boston4     
,footnote #c3 ,compare also ,victor     
,hugo's poem1 often referred to in      
descriptions of this picture1 ,saison   
des ,semailles3 ,le ,soir4     ,,xii    
,,the ,,gleaners   ,it is harvest time  
on a large farm4 ,the broad fields have 
been shorn of their golden grain1 and   
men and women are still busy gathering  
it in4 ,the binders have tied the wheat 
in sheaves with withes1 the sheaves are 
piled upon a wagon and carried to a     
place near the farm buildings1 where    
they are stacked in great mounds        
resembling enormous soup tureens4 ,the  
overseer rides to and fro on his horse  
giving orders to the laborers4  ,now    
come the gleaners into the field to     
claim the time-honored privilege of     
gathering up the scattered ears still   
lying on the ground4 ,the custom dates  
back to very early times4#a ,the ancient
 ,hebrews had a strict religious law in 
regard to it3 ,when ye reap the harvest 
of your land1 thou shalt not make clean 

riddance of the corners of thy field    
when thou reapest1 neither shalt thou   
gather any gleaning of thy harvest3 thou
 shalt leave them unto the poor1 and to 
the stranger4#b ,another law says that  
the gleanings are for the fatherless and
 for the widow2 that the ,lord thy ,god 
may bless thee in all the work of thine 
hands4#c  ,this generous practice is    
still observed in ,france4 ,the owner of
 a grain field would be afraid of bad   
luck to the harvest if he should refuse 
to let the gleaners in after the        
reapers4 ,gleaning is1 however1 allowed 
only in broad daylight1 that no         
dishonest persons may carry away entire 
sheaves4  ,it is near noon of a summer  
day1 and the sun is high in the heavens1
 casting only small shadows about the   
feet4 ,the gleaners are three women of  
the poorer peasant class4 ,they are     
tidily dressed in their coarse working  
clothes1 and wear kerchiefs tied over   
their heads1 with the edge projecting a 
little over the forehead to shade the   

eyes4 ,the dresses are cut rather low in
 the neck1 for theirs is warm work4     
,they make their way through the coarse 
stubble1 as sharp as needles1 gathering 
here and there a stray ear of the       
precious wheat4 ,already they have      
collected enough to make several little 
bundles1 tied neatly1 and piled together
 on the ground at one side4             
,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by  
,braun1 ,clment  ,co4 ,john ,andrew     
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,gleaners  ,as we look
 at them closely we see that they       
represent the three ages of womanhood3  
there is a maiden1 a matron1 and an old 
woman4 ,the nearest figure1 standing at 
the right1 is the eldest of the three4  
,she cannot bear the strain of stooping 
long at a time1 and bends stiffly and   
painfully to her task4 ,next her is a   
solidly built woman1 with square figure 
and a broad back capable of bearing     
heavy burdens4 ,those strong large hands
 have done hard work4 ,the third figure 
is that of a young woman with a lithe1  

girlish form4 ,with a girl's thought for
 appearance she has pinned her kerchief 
so that the ends at the back form a     
little cape to shield her neck from the 
burning sun4 ,unlike her companions1 she
 wears no apron4 ,while the others use  
their aprons doubled up to form sacks   
for their gleanings1 she holds her grain
 in her hand4  ,if you will try in turn 
each one of the positions taken by the  
several figures1 you will see how       
differently the three work4 ,the two who
 put the grain in the apron1 or pass it 
into the hand which rests on the knee1  
must every time lift themselves up with 
an awkward backward motion4 ,the younger
 gleaner has found a short and direct   
route from one hand to the other1 by    
resting the left hand1 palm up1 upon the
 back1 where the right can reach it by a
 simple upward motion of the arm which  
requires no exertion of the body4 ,her  
method saves the strength and is more   
graceful4  ,moving forward in the       
stooping posture1 with eyes fixed upon  

the ground1 the figures of the gleaners 
have been compared to great             
grasshoppers1 making their odd1         
irregular1 hopping progress across the  
field4 ,even as we look they seem to    
move toward us4  ,the picture is a fine 
study in lines4 ,the middle figure is   
constructed in a square outline1 and    
this square effect is emphasized in     
various ways1--by the right angle formed
 between the line across the bust and   
the right arm1 by the square corner     
between chin and neck1 and by the square
 shape of the kerchief at the back of   
the head4 ,we thus get an idea of the   
solid1 prosaic character of the woman   
herself4  ,the younger woman is a       
creature of beautiful curves4 ,the lines
 of her back and bust flow together in  
an oval figure which the position of the
 left arm completes4 ,the outstretched  
right arm continues the fine line across
 the back4 ,the lovely curve of the     
throat1 the shapeliness of the hand1    
even the pretty adjustment of the       

kerchief1 lend added touches to the     
charm of the youthful figure4  ,the     
lines of the standing figure curve      
towards the other two1 and carry the    
composition to sufficient height4 ,the  
lines enclosing the entire group form a 
mound-like figure not unlike a wheat    
stack in shape4 ,a wheat stack faintly  
seen across the distance in the centre  
of the field marks the apex of the      
mound1 the sides being formed by the    
outer lines of the two outer figures4   
,when we compare the picture with the   
others we have seen in the same general 
style of composition1 showing a level   
plain with figures in front1 we note how
 much more detail the background of the 
,gleaners contains4 ,this is because the
 figures do not come above the horizon  
line1 as do those in the ,angelus and   
,shepherdess4 ,hence the eye must be led
 upward by minor objects1 to take in the
 entire panorama spread before us4      
,footnote #a3 ,see the ,book of ,ruth4  
,footnote #b3 ,leviticus1 chapter       

xxiii41 verse #bb4  ,footnote #c3       
,deuteronomy1 chapter xxiv41 verse #ai4 
,,xiii  ,,the ,,milkmaid#a   ,all       
through the years of ,millet's life and 
work in ,barbizon1 his thoughts used to 
turn often to the little village in     
,normandy where he spent his youth4 ,his
 early life in the fields impressed upon
 his memory all the out-of-door sights  
peculiar to his native province4 ,the   
customs of peasants in ,france differ in
 the various provinces just as do ours  
in the various states4 ,some of the     
household utensils in ,millet's         
childhood's home were such as he never  
saw elsewhere1 and always remembered    
with pleasure4 ,the ways of doing the   
work in ,grville were not altogether    
like the ways of ,barbizon1 and         
,millet's observant eye and retentive   
memory noted these differences with     
interest4 ,when he revisited his home in
 later life1 he made careful sketches of
 some of the jugs and kitchen utensils  
used in the family4 ,he even carried off

 to his ,barbizon studio one particular 
brass jar which was used when the girl  
went to the field to milk cows4 ,he also
 sketched a girl carrying a jug of milk 
on her shoulder in the fashion of the   
place4 ,out of such studies was made our
 picture of the ,milkmaid4 ,women in my 
country carry jars of milk in that way1 
said the painter when explaining the    
picture to a visitor at his studio1 and 
went on to tell of other features of the
 life in ,normandy1 which he reproduced 
in his pictures1 though some of them he 
had not seen in all the long time since 
his boyhood4 ,as a reminiscence of      
,normandy the ,milkmaid is a companion  
piece to the ,sower4 ,there are other   
points of resemblance between the two   
pictures1 as we shall see4  ,the day    
draws to its close in splendor1 and the 
western sky is all aflame4 ,against this
 brilliant background the figure of the 
,milkmaid looms up grandly as she       
advances along the path through the     
meadow4 ,she is returning from the field

 which lies on the other slope of the   
hill4 ,there the cows are pastured and a
 rude fence marks the boundary4 ,the    
girl has been out for the milking1 and a
 cow near the fence turns its head in   
the direction of her retreating figure4 
,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by  
,braun1 ,clment  ,co1 ,john ,andrew     
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,milkmaid  ,the milk  
is carried in a large jar on the left   
shoulder4 ,by holding the left arm      
akimbo1 hand resting on the hip1 the    
girl makes her shoulder a little        
broader1 as it were1 enlarging the      
support of the jar4 ,the way in which   
the burden is kept in place is very     
interesting4 ,to put up the right arm to
 steady it would be impossible1 for the 
arm is not long enough to insure a firm 
grasp upon so heavy a weight4 ,so a cord
 or strap is passed through the handle  
of the jar1 carried over the head1 and  
held in the right hand4 ,the strong arm 
is stretched tense to keep the strap    
tight4 ,the head must of course be      

protected from the straining of the     
cord1 the shoulder from the pressure of 
the jar4 ,both are therefore well       
padded4 ,the head pad resembles a cap   
hanging in lappets on each side4 ,even  
with this protection the girl's face    
shows the strain4  ,a picture like this 
teaches us that there are other ways of 
giving a figure beauty than by making   
the face pretty4 ,just as ,millet's     
,shepherdess differs altogether from the
 little ,bopeep of the nursery tale1 so 
this peasant girl is not at all like the
 pretty milkmaids who carry             
milking-stools and shining pails through
 the pages of the picture books4 ,millet
 had no patience with such pictures4    
,pretty girls were not fit for hard     
work1 he said1 and he always wanted to  
have the people he painted look as if   
they belonged to their station4 ,fitness
 was in his mind one of the chief       
elements of beauty4  ,so he shows us in 
this ,milkmaid a young woman framed in  
the massive proportions of an ,amazon1  

and eminently fitted for her lot in     
life4 ,her chief beauty lies in the     
expression of her splendidly developed  
figure4 ,her choicest gifts are the     
health and virtue which most abound in  
the free life of ,god's country4    ,god
 made the country1 and man made the     
town4   ,what wonder1 then1 that health 
and virtue1 gifts   ,that can alone make
 sweet the bitter draught   ,that life  
holds out to all1 should most abound    
,and least be threatened in the fields  
and groves4#b  ,a study of the lines of 
the picture will show the artistic      
beauty of the composition4 ,you may     
trace a long beautiful curve beginning  
at the girl's finger tip and extending  
along the cord across the top of the    
milk jar4 ,starting from the same point 
another good line follows the arm and   
shoulder across the face and along the  
edge of the jar4 ,at the base of the    
composition we find corresponding lines 
which may be drawn from the toe of the  
right foot4 ,one follows the diagonal of

 the path and the other runs along the  
edge of the lifted skirt4  ,there are   
other fine lines in the drawing of the  
bodice and the folds of the skirt4      
,altogether they are as few in number   
and as strongly emphasized1 though not  
so grand1 as those of the ,sower4       
,footnote #a3 ,the title of             
,water-,carrier has been incorrectly    
attached to this picture1 though the    
sketch on which it is based is properly 
known as the ,milkmaid4  ,footnote #b3  
,from ,cowper's ,task4     ,,xiv  ,,the 
,,woman ,,churning   ,again we are in   
the picturesque province of ,normandy1  
and are shown the interior of a dairy   
where a woman is busy churning4 ,it is a
 quaint place1 with raftered ceiling and
 stone-paved floor1 and the furnishings 
are only such as are required by the    
work in hand4 ,on some wooden shelves   
against the farther wall are vessels of 
earthenware and metal1 to hold cream1   
cheese1 butter1 and the like4 ,the churn
 is one of the old-fashioned upright    

sort1 not unlike those used in early    
,new ,england households1 and large     
enough to contain a good many quarts of 
cream4 ,the woman stands beside it1     
grasping with both hands the handle of  
the dasher1 or plunger1 which is worked 
up and down to keep the cream in motion 
and so change it into butter4  ,in the  
beginning of the churning process the   
movement of the dasher is slow1 so that 
the cream may be thoroughly mixed4 ,then
 it goes more rapidly for a time1 till1 
just as the arms grow weary1 the butter 
begins to come1 when the speed slackens 
to the end1 the entire process occupying
 thirty or forty minutes4 ,the butter   
collects in yellow lumps1 which are at  
length taken from the churn1 washed and 
kneaded to press out the buttermilk1 and
 then moulded into pats4 ,the pleasure  
of the finishing touches makes up for   
the fatiguing monotony of the churning4 
,george ,eliot1 in the novel of ,adam   
,bede1 gives a charming description of  
,hetty ,sorrel's butter-making1 with all

 the pretty attitudes and movements of  
patting and rolling the sweet-scented   
butter into moulds4  ,we can hardly     
tell1 from the attitude of the woman in 
our picture1 how far her work has       
progressed1 but her expression of       
satisfaction seems to show that the     
butter is coming well4 ,the work of     
butter-making varies curiously at       
different times4 ,sometimes the butter  
comes quickly and easily1 and again1    
only after long and laborious delays4   
,there seems1 indeed1 no rule about the 
process2 it appears to be all a matter  
of luck4 ,country people have always    
been very superstitious in regard to it2
 and not understanding the true reasons 
for a successful or an unsuccessful     
churning1 they attribute any remarkable 
effects to supernatural agencies4  ,in  
the old days of witchcraft              
superstitions1 they used to think that  
when the cream did not readily turn to  
butter1 the churn had been tampered with
 by some witch1 like ,mabel ,martin's   

mother in ,whittier's poem4 ,witches    
were sometimes supposed to work a       
baleful charm on the milk by putting    
under the doorsill some magical object1 
such as a picture of a toad or a lizard4
  ,illustration3 ,from a carbon print by
 ,braun1 ,clment  ,co4 ,john ,andrew    
,son1 ,sc4 ,,the ,,woman ,,churning  ,in
 ,scotland1 when churning was easy it   
was because of the secret help of the   
brownie4 ,he was a tiny1 elf-like       
creature who lived in the barn and was  
never seen of men2 but his presence was 
made known by his many deeds of         
helpfulness in kitchen and dairy1 for   
which he was rewarded by a daily bowl of
 milk4 ,those who have read ,george     
,mac,donald's story of ,sir ,gibbie     
remember how the little waif from the   
city was mistaken for a brownie because 
he secretly helped in the churning4  ,in
 ,france a pious class of peasants pray 
to ,st4 ,blaise for a blessing on their 
various farm occupations1 including the 
dairy work4 ,a hymn written to the saint

 contains this petition3--    ,in our   
dairies1 curds and cream   ,and fair    
cheeses may we see3   ,great ,st4       
,blaise1 oh1 grant our plea4#a  ,some   
such prayer as this may be running      
through the mind of the woman in our    
picture4 ,she has the earnest and simple
 character which belongs to the ,norman 
peasant4 ,hers is a kindly nature1 too1 
and the cat rubs familiarly against her 
as if sure of a friend who has often set
 a saucer of milk in his way4 ,with     
sleeves rolled up and skirts tucked     
about her1 she attacks her work in a    
strong1 capable way which shows that it 
is a pleasure4 ,the light comes from    
some high window at the left1 and1      
gleaming on her arms1 shows how firm and
 hard the flesh is4  ,we know that this 
is a ,norman peasant woman from her tall
 cap4 ,there are many styles of caps    
peculiar to different parts of ,france1 
but those worn in ,normandy are         
remarkable for their height4 ,when some 
of the people of this province emigrated

 to the western continent and settled in
 ,acadia1 the land of ,evangeline1 the  
women brought their caps with them and  
continued to wear them many years1 as we
 read in ,longfellow's ,evangeline4     
,our previous studies of the other      
pictures of this collection help us to  
see at once the good points of          
composition in the ,woman ,churning4    
,the main lines of the group in the     
foreground form a tall pyramid4 ,the    
shape of the churn gives us the line at 
the right side1 and the figure of the   
cat carries the line of the woman's     
skirt into a corresponding slant on the 
left4 ,the lines of the tiled floor add 
to the pyramidal effect by converging in
 perspective4 ,even the broom leaning   
against the shelf near the door takes   
the same diagonal direction as the tiles
 of the right side4  ,we have here also 
a new illustration of the art of        
treating inclosed spaces4#b ,an outlet  
is given to the room through the door   
opening into the farmyard4 ,across the  

yard stands a low cow-shed1 in which a  
woman is seated milking a cow4 ,this    
building1 however1 does not altogether  
block up the view from the dairy door4  
,above the roof is a strip of sky1 and  
through a square window at the back is  
seen a bit of the meadow4   ,footnote   
#a3 ,from ,ronsard's ,hymn to ,st4      
,blaise1 translated by ,henry ,naegely  
in ,j4,f4 ,millet and ,rustic ,art4     
,footnote #b3 ,see chapters ii4 and vi4 
,,xv  ,,the ,,man ,,with ,,the ,,hoe    
,to the peasant farmer every month of   
the year brings its own labors4 ,from   
seed time to harvest there is a constant
 succession of different tasks1 and     
hardly is the harvest gathered in before
 it is time to prepare again for        
planting4 ,before ploughing can be begun
 the fields must first be cleared of    
stubble and weeds4 ,now in ,millet's    
village of ,barbizon1 this clearing of  
the fields was done1 in his day1 by     
means of an implement called in ,french 
a houe4 ,although we translate the word 

as hoe1 the tool is quite unlike the    
,american article of that name4 ,it     
looks a little like a carpenter's adze1 
though much larger and heavier1 the     
blade being as broad as that of a       
shovel4 ,the handle is short and the    
implement is very clumsy and fatiguing  
to use4 ,even the stoutest peasant finds
 the work wearisome4  ,the man in our   
picture has paused for a moment's rest  
in this toilsome labor1 and leans       
panting on his hoe4 ,in the heat of his 
toil he has thrown off his hat and      
blouse1 which now lie together on the   
ground behind him4 ,his damp hair is    
matted together on his forehead1 his    
brawny chest is exposed by the open     
shirt1 his horny hands are clasped over 
the hoe handle4 ,some distant object    
catches his eye4 ,it may be a farm wagon
 moving across the plain1 or perhaps a  
bird flying through the clear air4 ,to  
follow the course of such an object a   
moment is a welcome change from the     
monotonous rise and fall of the hoe4    

,it is a rough and uneven field in which
 the laborer works1 rising here and     
there in small hillocks1 and thickly    
overgrown with brambles and coarse tufts
 of herbage4 ,when these weeds are      
loosened from the soil1 they are raked  
in little heaps and burned4 ,in the     
field just back of this is a circle of  
these bonfires1 sending up their columns
 of smoke towards the sky4 ,a young     
woman is busy raking together the piles4
 ,in the distance she looks like a      
priestess of ancient times presiding at 
some mystic rites of fire worship4 ,far 
beyond1 a shapely tree is outlined      
against the horizon4  ,illustration3    
,from a carbon print by ,braun1 ,clment 
,co4 ,john ,andrew  ,son1 ,sc4 ,,the    
,,man ,,with ,,the ,,hoe  ,to study this
 picture profitably1 we must consider   
separately the subject and the artistic 
qualities4 ,these two elements in a work
 of art are often confused1 but are in  
reality quite distinct4 ,very unpleasant
 subjects have sometimes been employed  

in pictures of great artistic merit1 and
 again beautiful subjects have sometimes
 been treated very indifferently4 ,when 
great art is united with a great        
subject1 we have ideal perfection2 but  
poor art and a poor subject together are
 intolerable4 ,now some people think    
only of the subject when they look at a 
picture1 and others1 more critical1 look
 only at the qualities of art it        
contains4 ,the best way of all is to try
 to understand something of both4  ,in  
the first glance at this picture we do  
not find the subject very attractive4   
,the laborer is awkward1 he is stupid   
looking1 and he is very weary4 ,if we   
are to look at laborers1 we like to see 
them graceful1 intelligent1 and active  
like the ,sower4 ,as a redeeming        
quality1 the ,man with the ,hoe has a   
certain patient dignity which commands  
our respect1 but with all that1 we do   
not call it a pleasant subject4  ,but   
look a moment at the strong1 noble      
outlines of the drawing and see how     

finely modelled is the figure4 ,so      
carefully did ,millet study this work   
that he first modelled the figure in    
clay that he might give it more vitality
 in the painting4 ,this ,man with the   
,hoe seems indeed not a painted figure1 
but a real living1 breathing human      
being1 whom we can touch and find of    
solid flesh and blood4  ,we must note1  
too1 how grandly the figure is thrown   
out against the sky and the plain4      
,there is something to observe1 also1 in
 the proportions of the man to the      
background4 ,the broad pyramid made by  
the bending figure and the hoe needs    
plenty of space at each side to set it  
off1 hence the oblong shape of the      
picture4 ,these1 and other artistic     
qualities not so easily observed and    
understood1 all give the picture a place
 among the greater artistic conceptions 
of all time4  ,the ,man with the ,hoe   
has probably caused more discussion than
 any other of ,millet's paintings4 ,from
 the very first those who care only for 

the subject of a picture have condemned 
it1 while the critics have praised its  
artistic qualities4 ,many have thought  
that ,millet made the subject as        
unpleasant as possible in order to show 
the degrading effects of work4 ,the same
 theory was suggested when the ,sower   
and the ,gleaners appeared4 ,the painter
 himself was much troubled by these     
misunderstandings4 ,i have never dreamed
 of being a pleader in any cause1 he    
said4 ,he simply painted life as he saw 
it1 and had no thought of teaching      
strange doctrines against labor4        
,indeed1 no man ever felt more deeply   
than he the dignity of labor4  ,when    
everything which could be said for or   
against the picture had been exhausted  
on the other side of the ,atlantic1 the 
picture was brought to this country and 
finally to the ,state of ,california4   
,here the discussion began all over     
again4 ,there were those who were so    
impressed by the unpleasant character of
 the subject that they could not find   

words strong enough to express their    
horror4 ,the ,man with the ,hoe was     
called a monstrous thing distorted and  
soul-quenched1 a dread and terrible     
shape1 a thing that grieves not and that
 never hopes1 a brother to the ox1 and  
many other things which would have      
surprised and grieved ,millet4  ,of     
course1 any one to whom the pathos of   
the subject itself appeals so strongly  
can have little thought for the artistic
 qualities of the picture4 ,so ,edwin   
,markham1 the writer of the poem from   
which these expressions are quoted1 lets
 the subject lead him on into an        
impassioned protest against the         
degradation of labor1--the oppression of
 man by man1--all of which has nothing  
to do with the picture4  ,millet was not
 one to care at all for what he called  
pretty subjects1 as we have already seen
 in studying the picture of the         
,milkmaid4 ,he felt that only by giving 
to his figures the expression and       
character which belonged to their       

condition could he obey the laws of     
beauty in art1 for he knew that a work  
of art is beautiful only when it is     
homogeneous4#a  ,this was the theory    
which he put into practice in the ,man  
with the ,hoe1 and one who understands  
well both his theories and his art sums 
up the great painting in these words3   
,the noble proportions of the figure    
alone would give this work a place among
 the greater artistic conceptions of all
 time1 while the severe and simple      
pathos of this moment of respite in the 
interminable earth struggle1 invests it 
with a sublimity which belongs to       
eternal things alone4 #b   ,footnote #a3
 ,pierre ,millet in the ,century4       
,footnote #b3 ,henry ,naegely4     ,,xvi
  ,,the ,,portrait ,,of ,,millet   ,in  
studying the works of any great painter 
many questions naturally arise as to the
 personality of the man himself and the 
influences which shaped his life4 ,some 
such questions have already been        
answered as we have examined these      

fifteen pictures by ,millet4 ,jean      
,franois ,millet1 we have learned1 was  
of peasant parentage and spent the      
greater part of his life in the country4
 ,his pious ,norman ancestors bequeathed
 him a rich heritage of strong and      
serious traits4 ,from them1 too1 he drew
 that patience and perseverance which   
helped him to overcome so many obstacles
 in his career4  ,in the surroundings of
 his childhood he saw no pictures and   
heard nothing of art or artists4 ,yet at
 a very early age he showed a remarkable
 talent for drawing4 ,his artistic      
temperament was inherited from his      
father1 who was a great lover of music  
and of everything beautiful4 ,look1 he  
sometimes said1 plucking a blade of     
grass and showing it to his little boy1 
how beautiful this is4 ,his grandmother1
 too1 had a true poetic vein in her     
nature4 ,she would come to the child's  
bedside in the morning1 calling1 ,wake  
up1 my little ,franois1 you don't know  
how long the birds have been singing the

 glory of ,god4 ,in such a family the   
youth's gifts were readily recognized1  
and he was sent to ,cherbourg1 the      
nearest large town1 to learn to be a    
painter4 ,here1 and later in ,paris1 he 
received instruction from various       
artists1 but his greatest teacher was   
,nature4 ,so he turned from the schools 
of ,paris1 and the artificial standards 
of his fellow artists there1 to study   
for himself1 at first hand1 the peasant 
life he wished to portray4 ,what a      
delightful place ,barbizon was for such 
work we have seen from some of his      
pictures4  ,it was during the fruitful  
years of work at ,barbizon that ,millet 
made the crayon portrait of himself     
which is reproduced as our frontispiece4
 ,he was a large1 strong1 deep-chested  
man1 somewhat above the medium height4  
,an admirer has described him as one of 
nature's noblemen1 and his younger      
brother ,pierre says he was built like a
 ,hercules4 ,he had an inherent distaste
 for fine clothes which he showed even  

in boyhood4 ,when he grew to be a       
painter1 and returned to visit his      
family in ,grville1 the villagers were  
scandalized to see the city artist      
appear in their streets in blouse and   
sabots4  ,as we see in the portrait1    
,millet had long wavy hair1 falling over
 his shoulders1 and a thick black beard4
 ,his forehead was high and intelligent1
 and his nose delicately cut and        
sensitive4 ,his eyes were gray-blue1 of 
the kind which look a man through and   
through and which nothing escapes4 ,the 
artist had so trained these wonderful   
eyes of his that he had only to turn    
them on a scene to photograph the       
impression indelibly on his memory4     
,the face that we see in the portrait is
 that of a thinker1 a poet1 and an      
artist4 ,it is the face of one who held 
intimate converse with the great poets  
of the ages1 of one whose favorite books
 were the ,bible1 ,virgil1 ,theocritus  
and ,shakespeare4 ,though ,millet had   
many genial traits in his nature1 his   

expression here is profoundly serious4  
,such an expression tells much of the   
inner life of the man4 ,his pictures    
were too original to be popular at once1
 and while he waited for purchasers he  
found it hard to support his family4    
,his anxieties wore upon his health1 and
 he was subject to frequent headaches of
 frightful severity4 ,nor was the       
struggle with poverty his only trial4   
,he had to contend constantly against   
the misconceptions and                  
misrepresentations of hostile critics4  
,he was of too stern a nature and too   
loyal to his ideals to vary a hair's    
breadth from his course1 yet criticism  
embittered him4 ,give me signboards to  
paint1 if you will1 he exclaimed1 but at
 least let me think out my subjects in  
my own fashion and finish the work that 
,i have to do1 in peace4  ,like all who 
have great originality1 ,millet lived in
 a world of his own1 and had but a few  
congenial friends4 ,to such friends1    
however1 and in the inner circle of his 

home1 he opened his great and tender    
heart1 and all who knew him loved him4