The roughness of how these pigs are drawn seems to be more accurate for how they are in real life.
The exquisite lines in Charles Émile Jacque’s autograph is a nice complement to the rough lines of the pigs.
Jacque was friends with Jean-François Millet. No wonder why I am enjoying Jacque’s work. From the Millet Museum:
In the wake of the cholera epidemic of 1849, Millet, Catherine Lemaire and their three children left Paris with Charles Jacque and his family, to seek refuge on the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest, in Barbizon. Intending to stay for only a few weeks, he stayed there for the remainder of his life, where he produced the major part of his work.
Bolding mine
This image of pigs randomly appeared in my browser via ArtTab. The Art Institute of Chicago has 220 artworks by Charles Émile Jacque. Here are some that pop out to me.
The title for this artwork reminds me of Walgreens today. Imagine if Walgreens employees dressed up like the man in this 1843 print.
The darkness and softness of this print may not have been intended. Usually when people make prints, they try to give a balance to lights and darks. But given the subject matter, maybe it was intentional on the artist to make this darker.
I might print this one as a coloring page for my kids.