Victor-Jean Nicolle was a painter of architecture, as well as a draftsman and engraver. He was trained by Petit-Randel. His work can be found in many French museums in Paris and Rouen. The most important collector of Nicolle drawings, Jean-Camille Jammes, compiled an album of 240 drawings, many of which were sold at a single auction by Thesmar, Paris, in November 1953.

Our drawing is a romantic depiction of a figure seated on the steps of a ruined stone building in a landscape. The portrayal of the seated peasant describes a poignant moment of a man lost in contemplation. His shoulders are slightly hunched forward, and his gaze fixes on the ground. To the left, a small stone bridge with a single arch spans a stream, and to the right ...