Reverse copy of Balais Balais (Brushes Brushes), from Le Cris de Paris (The Cries of Paris), plate 5

Art Historical Context

This 18th-century etching and engraving captures a lively scene from *Les Cris de Paris* (The Cries of Paris), a celebrated series depicting the everyday vendors and laborers of the French capital. Created as a reverse copy after a design by François Boucher and executed by Jacques-Philippe Le Bas, the print shows a street seller calling out “Balais, balais!” (Brushes, brushes!), accompanied by a cart, dog, and other figures at work. Such images formed part of a long artistic tradition that documented the sounds and rhythms of urban life. Boucher, a leading figure of the Rococo movement, brought an elegant, decorative sensibility even to these genre subjects, while Le Bas’s skilled use of etching and engraving allowed the composition to be widely reproduced. The technique—combining fluid etched lines with precise engraved details—gave the print both delicacy and clarity, making it affordable for collectors and suitable for inclusion in albums or portfolios. Today the work resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints. It offers modern viewers an intimate glimpse into the working world of pre-revolutionary Paris and the vibrant market for popular imagery that flourished during the period.

About the Artist

Jacques Philippe Le Bas|François Boucher · 1707–1783

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