Peasant women. Neighborhood of Livorno near Antignano

Painted in 1866 near Antignano on the outskirts of Livorno, this canvas depicts peasant women working in the fields of the coastal Tuscan countryside. Fattori spent considerable time in the villages around Livorno and recorded their inhabitants with the same attentive eye he brought to soldiers and horses. These fieldwork scenes occupy an important position in the Macchiaioli programme: they are neither sentimentally rustic nor politically charged but simply observed — women under Italian summer light, their labour neither romanticised nor condemned. The specific identification of the location in the title reflects the movement's commitment to particularity over generic rural types, situating the scene in a real, nameable landscape.

Strong summer light dominates the composition, bleaching tones and creating the bold tonal contrasts that define Macchiaioli outdoor work. The women's forms are simplified by the light into near-geometric shapes. The palette is hot and dry, consistent with high summer on the Ligurian coast.