Chairmaker - Simon Guillain

A seventeenth-century etching by Simon Guillain depicting a Parisian street vendor carrying wooden chairs, from the series Les Cris de Paris.

This etching by Simon Guillain captures a street vendor from seventeenth-century Paris. It belongs to a series known as Les Cris de Paris, which documents the various tradespeople and labourers who populated the city streets during the period. The figure is depicted from behind, carrying a stack of wooden chairs strapped to his back. The composition focuses on the physical burden of the trade, showing the man in a simple cap and tunic, his posture slightly hunched under the weight of his wares.

Guillain employs a precise, linear etching technique to define the forms. Cross-hatching is used sparingly to suggest shadow and texture, particularly on the clothing and the woven seats of the chairs. The background remains largely empty, which directs the viewer's attention entirely to the subject and his tools. This approach provides a clear, unadorned record of the working classes in mid-seventeenth-century France. The print functions as a historical document, offering a glimpse into the daily life and economic activities of the era. The simplicity of the line work and the lack of extraneous detail are characteristic of the series, which aimed to catalogue the diverse characters of the urban environment. This print is a fine example of the genre of street cries, a popular subject for printmakers across Europe during this time.