Venster met gordijnen c. 1895 - 1910

This print by Léon Laroche depicts a window with elaborate curtains. Without firm dates for Laroche, we can still speculate about its cultural context. The print’s title, "Le Garde-Meuble," suggests it originates from a publication showcasing furniture and interior design. In France, such publications served a crucial role in shaping bourgeois taste and promoting the decorative arts. The phrase “genre renaissance” suggests the style is evocative of historical designs, but filtered through a 19th-century lens. The image creates meaning through its visual codes of luxury, and its historical associations, and the print's precise linework suggests a focus on technical accuracy for craftsmen replicating these designs. By examining periodicals, trade publications, and design manuals from this period, we can understand the institutional forces that shaped both the production and reception of such images. The study of design history allows us to understand how taste is not merely personal but is shaped by social and economic forces.