The Duchess d'Angoulème, Madame la Dauphine 1824

Editor: Here we have Jean-Baptiste Isabey's lithograph, "The Duchess d'Angoulême, Madame la Dauphine," created in 1824. It's a portrait, and something about the soft, almost hazy quality of the print gives it a wistful, romantic feel. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: Well, aside from the rather fabulous hairstyle, I’m drawn to the story it whispers of a France still reeling from revolution. Can you see the faintest echo of Neoclassicism, fighting against a burgeoning Romantic sensibility? Editor: I do see the Neoclassical influence, especially in the idealized profile, but that romanticism definitely comes through. Is that common in portraits of the time? Curator: Precisely! Isabey captures a sense of longing, wouldn’t you say? This was after all a period of intense political and social change, and here's the Duchess, a figure tied to the old regime. This softness, it's like a collective sigh. Do you get the impression of trying to hold on to something fading away? Editor: That's a great point. The Duchess herself represents that longing for the past, and the romantic style emphasizes that feeling. I hadn’t thought about it that way before, but now it seems so clear. Curator: Isn’t it delicious how art holds up a mirror to society? And the most intriguing part of it all is how many different faces we see in the reflection. Each of them as beautiful as the sitter here. Editor: Absolutely. I’ll definitely carry that new perspective with me. Thanks for sharing!