"France is the only nation in which astoundingly small numbers of civilized patrons reside"

This quote by Gustave Courbet is a criticism of the state of France in the 19th century. Courbet is suggesting that most of the population of France is not civilized, and that only a little number of people are. He is likely referring to the fact that the French Revolution had only just recently took place, which the country was still in a state of upheaval. He is likewise most likely describing the reality that the French upper class had actually been toppled, and that the country was still in the process of transitioning to a more democratic kind of federal government. Courbet's quote is a reminder that even in the 19th century, France was still a country in transition, which the majority of its citizens were not yet residing in a civilized society.