Jeune fille au volant (Jeune fille a la raguette)

Lépicié employed fine, controlled engraving lines to model form and texture, using hatching and cross-hatching to suggest the folds of fabric and the softness of hair. The plain background enhances the figure’s presence, while the sketch-like quality of the proof reveals the artist’s hand—lines remain unpolished, capturing the immediacy of the initial impression before final inking.

As a progress proof, this impression was likely retained by the artist or printer to evaluate tonal balance and detail before issuing the final edition. Few such proofs survive, making this an uncommon record of the print’s development. Its attribution to Lépicié aligns with his known output in portraiture and genre scenes during the 1740s.

In mid-18th-century France, depictions of women in domestic recreation became increasingly common in print culture, reflecting shifting ideals of femininity and leisure. Games like shuttlecock were seen as suitable, modest pursuits for young women, blending physical grace with social decorum. Lépicié’s work fits within this trend, offering a quiet, observational portrait rather than a moralizing narrative.

Though not widely reproduced, this proof offers insight into the working methods of French engravers and the visual culture of private life in the Ancien Régime. Its preservation allows scholars to trace the evolution of a single image from initial concept to final print, highlighting the craftsmanship behind seemingly simple genre scenes of the period.