The Rest of the Haymakers

(click to embiggen)

The Rest of the Haymakers, 1872, Jules Breton (1827 - 1906).  

Jules Breton was a French realist painter who produced many romanticized paintings of rural peasant life.  

Here we have a young field worker who is spinning flax during her rest period from making hay.  She's working with a hand spindle, holding and twiddling it in her right hand as she drafts the flax with her left hand. Note how her distaff is inserted behind and through her apron bib and waistband to hold it in place.

I love the splashes of red at her turned up cuffs--hinting of something wild and free behind her somber, tired face.

 

Comments

[Judi]

Beautiful image - not beautiful that she had to work on her "break". We are so lucky to be able to spin as recreation rather than necessity.

[Sylvia]

Beautiful, one of best you've posted yet, [but her feet are clean!?].

[cyndy]

Another wonderful image!

Thank you :-)

(I once read somewhere..maybe it was Barber?...they would suck on sour fruit-cherries, plums,etc.- pits to help with the spittle)

[Sharon]

I'm thinking a romanticized look at a very hard future. Lovely though.

[Marcy/Habetrot]

Well, the wet doesn't need to come from a bowl or a bucket. In our young woman's case, and in that of most roving flax spindlers, I rather imagine the source of wetness would have been her own spittle. Very handy and ever-flowing.

[Laurie]

Barefoot, and not even looking at her spinning.

Good question by Manise.

[Manise]

Yahoo you are back! I love, love this 'Brittany Girl' painting! There is so much to see in there. The color of the sea is wonderful, the sea gulls floating on the afternoon breeze and the flax waving. I love the red cuffs too. I have a nagging question though. Doesn't one need a little bowl of water to wet ones fingers when spinning flax? Perhaps she has a small bucket of sea water out of view?