Chimney Sweep!, plate 50 - Simon Guillain

A detailed seventeenth-century etching by Simon Guillain, depicting a chimney sweep from the 'Les Cris de Paris' series.

This etching, plate 50 from the series 'Les Cris de Paris' (The Cries of Paris), depicts a street vendor or labourer in seventeenth-century France. Simon Guillain, a French sculptor and printmaker, produced this series after drawings by Annibale Carracci. The work captures the social fabric of the period by documenting the various tradespeople who populated the city streets.

The figure stands in a simple, upright posture, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and loose-fitting clothing typical of the working class of the era. He holds a small tool in his left hand, while a sack is draped over his shoulder. The background is rendered with minimal detail, suggesting an urban environment through simple architectural lines. Guillain employs precise, controlled hatching to define the form of the figure and the texture of his garments, creating a sense of volume without the need for complex shading.

'Les Cris de Paris' functions as a visual catalogue of urban life, providing a glimpse into the daily routines of individuals who were often overlooked in formal portraiture. The etching style reflects the influence of Carracci, whose own studies of street figures were highly regarded for their observational quality. By focusing on the individual worker, Guillain provides a direct, unadorned representation of his subject. This print is a fine example of seventeenth-century printmaking, where the economy of line serves to clarify the subject rather than obscure it with unnecessary detail. The work remains a valuable historical record of the attire and tools associated with the chimney sweep trade in early modern Paris.