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Ragpicker

1884
Not on view
Raffaëlli annotated impressions of this print with his reflections on the ragpicker, a subject for which, he admits, he always had "a weakness." The artist found "in these poor devils an idea of fierce independence" as well as "our abandonment." In this composition, he gives no indication of the tools of the trade—namely the large baskets in which these workers collected discarded fabrics throughout the city—rather, he focuses attention on the sitter's weathered face and guarded gaze. An impression of this print may have been among the early etchings and drypoints Raffaëlli exhibited in the fifth Impressionist exhibition in 1880.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ragpicker
  • Artist: Jean-François Raffaëlli (French, Paris 1850–1924 Paris)
  • Date: 1884
  • Medium: Etching and drypoint with surface tone selectively wiped
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 12 5/8 × 9 7/8 in. (32 × 25.1 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, PECO Foundation Gift, 2023
  • Object Number: 2023.85
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Women at the Counter, Jean-François Raffaëlli French, Graphite, black crayon, and gray wash on buff wove paper
Women at the Counter
Jean-François Raffaëlli
ca. 1887
Suburban Landscape (Scene with Horse and Carriage), Jean-François Raffaëlli French, Graphite, watercolor, and gouache on buff, heavy wove paper
Suburban Landscape (Scene with Horse and Carriage)
Jean-François Raffaëlli
ca. 1882
Landscape with Road Approaching the City, Jean-François Raffaëlli French, Charcoal, orange chalk, and gray wash with white gouache highlights on papier bleuté, mounted on stiff cardboard with all borders gilded
Landscape with Road Approaching the City
Jean-François Raffaëlli
ca. 1880
The Old Lady's Garden, Jean-François Raffaëlli French, Color etching and drypoint with monotype; third state of three
The Old Lady's Garden
Jean-François Raffaëlli
Bessie Potter Vonnoh
1894
Village Square, Cagnes, Jean-François Raffaëlli French, Color etching, drypoint, and roulette with plate tone; second state of two
Village Square, Cagnes
Jean-François Raffaëlli
1913

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