“This cotton fabric offers a delightful glimpse into early 19th-century leisure, combining multiple charming scenes, including "La Route de Poissy," into a single, intricate design. It's a fascinating example of how everyday objects could tell stories.”
This cotton fabric, printed around 1815 by Favre-Petitpierre et cie, presents a lively collection of scenes, not just a single narrative. Look closely, and you'll discover a charming blend of everyday life and leisurely pursuits. The design, likely intended for furnishings, captures a moment when printed textiles often told stories or depicted popular pastimes. The company, known for its copperplate and roller-printed cottons, used these techniques to achieve the fine detail you see in the figures and landscapes. Imagine this fabric adorning a room, bringing a sense of bucolic charm and narrative interest to its surroundings. It reflects a broader trend in early 19th-century French design, where decorative arts embraced picturesque imagery and varied vignettes, moving away from more formal, singular motifs. The interplay of different activities across the surface invites a viewer to linger and explore each miniature world.
- Artist
- Favre-Petitpierre et cie
- Date
- 1815
- Medium
- Cotton
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- L. 18 1/2 x W. 30 1/2 inches 47.0 x 77.5 cm
- Collection
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
- Culture
- French, Nantes
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Darwin Morse, 1963
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
A couple strolls by a river, perhaps the Seine near Poissy.
A small boat with figures glides across the water.
Look for a group gathered near a building, possibly a tavern.
Notice the detailed trees and foliage framing the scenes.
1 more detail is waiting.
See all 5 in Art Whisper →Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through "La Route de Poissy" with other scenes — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Favre-Petitpierre et cie
French textile firm that turned cotton yardage into narrative art, printing Homer and Napoleon onto your curtains.
Further Works by cie
"Venus à sa Toilette"
1770 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Battle between the Héros and the Superb"
1778 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"La Maison Brulante"
1780 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Le Port de Cherbourg"
1781 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Panurge dans l'île des lanternes"
1781 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Le Combat de la Motte-Picquet à la Martinique"
1783 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
La Foire du Caire (The Cairo Fair)
1785 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Tomb of Rousseau"
1785 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond cie: works from the same years.
Same era · 1800s–1830s
The Third of May 1808
Francisco Goya · 1814 · Museo del Prado
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Snow Storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps
J. M. W. Turner · 1812 · National Gallery
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Caspar David Friedrich · 1818 · Hamburger Kunsthalle
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Male Academy Figure: Half-Length, Side View
Eugène Delacroix · 1819 · Karen B. Cohen Collection
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres · 1823 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Jacques-Louis David · 1800 · Musée national de Malmaison et Bois-Préau
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Conflagration of the Masonic Hall, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Samuel Jones · 1819 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Sketchbook: Souvenir of Naples
Artist Unknown - The Mercat Cross, Aberdeen · 1821 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Samuel Fisher Bradford
Rembrandt Peale · 1803 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1800s–1830s
The Captive Slave (Ira Aldridge)
John Philip Simpson · 1827 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Mr. James Mackie
Samuel Alcock & Company · 1830 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1800s–1830s
Anne, Wife of the 13th Marquess of Winchester (b. before 1785–1841)
Thomas Stewardson · 1815 · Winchester Guildhall