Composition de F. Millet (Composition by F. Millet)

Millet employed a traditional copper‑plate etching process, allowing ink to fill incised lines that produce a scratchy, textured surface on the paper. The drawing is rendered with rapid, jagged strokes that convey grass, trees, and the figure’s outline in a sketch‑like manner. This immediacy emphasizes the study’s provisional nature rather than a polished final composition.

The print was produced during a phase when Millet expanded his output beyond oil paintings to include works on paper. It is paired with a facing plate titled *Composition de F. Millet* by Albert Merat, indicating a collaborative or comparative context. The piece has remained within print collections that document the artist’s forays into etching.

Millet, a founding member of the Barbizon school and a central figure in Realism, is best known for scenes of peasant labor and countryside vistas. By the late 1860s, his interest in graphic techniques mirrored a broader nineteenth‑century trend among painters to experiment with printmaking as a means of disseminating their vision and reaching new audiences.