Life in the 1880's
While Georges Seurat was well known for his work in color theory and in pointillism, prior to this breakthrough of his he was a world-renowned painter and drawer.
Most people know his later work, but this online exhibition focuses greatly on his earlier works, especially his drawings. Thomson explains these years perfectly in his study Seurat when he states that “drawing is an appropriate medium for the analysis of ones environment, for the preliminary observation of motifs, and Seurat used the years 1881 to 1883 to develop his drawing and simultaneously explore the subjects of everyday life” (Thomson 31). 
This accurately describes the early works of Georges Seurat and his focus on the combination of French farmers and industry. His interest in these everyday occurrences can be explained by knowing his life during the time period. As a result of many family ties, Seurat had the ability to live in places around the city of Paris such as the suburbs around the Seine (Zimmerman 62). This ability allowed Seurat to study the life of the simple worker while at the same time observe the changes that affected the landscape because of industrialization. For years he would be able to move around because of family wealth and ties. During the early 1880’s in the suburbs, he developed his drawing style and came to be known as one of the best drawers in France at the time. Not until his later accomplishments, pointillism, did his drawing become less important to him.
For more information on the entire life of Georges Seurat, visit the Grove Art Online Encyclopedia on the web.