Rural life became a subject of intense interest and debate in France during the 1850s. With the onslaught of industrialization and the mass migration of agricultural workers to the cities in search of jobs, concerns mounted regarding the fate of agrarian traditions. To diffuse anxieties, the French government initiated an agricultural fair. Throughout the 1850s, well-known photographers, including Adolphe Braun, were hired by the government to photograph the prize-winning animals. This photograph is part of a livestock series Braun made at his family farm in Dornach, Switzerland.