The Towpath
c. 1864
Medium
Etching on light gray China paper laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 15.3 × 12.4 cm (6 1/16 × 4 15/16 in.); Chine: 16.4 × 13.2 cm (6 1/2 × 5 1/4 in.); Plate: 21.5 × 17.4 cm (8 1/2 × 6 7/8 in.); Sheet: 31.2 × 42.3 cm (12 5/16 × 16 11/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
45802
Art Historical Context
**The Towpath** by Charles Émile Jac, created around 1864, captures the quiet rhythm 19th-century rural France Jacque, a prominent member of the Barbizon School artists like Jean-François Millet and Théodore Rousseau, specialized in realistic depictions of countryside life, often featuring animals and laborers. This etching likely portrays a towpath along a canal or riverbank—a vital artery for transporting goods before widespread railroads—evoking the harmonious bond between humans, beasts of burden, and nature in an era of industrial change. Printed as an etching on delicate light gray Chin...