Madame Monet Embroidering 1875

Claude Monet painted Madame Monet Embroidering with oil on canvas. We see Monet’s wife engaged in a domestic activity which was socially acceptable for women at the time in France. Impressionist painters like Monet often depicted scenes of everyday life. These domestic scenes were generally considered to be feminine subjects. The Impressionists broke from academic tradition by choosing to represent contemporary life rather than historical or mythological scenes. But the Impressionists still adhered to social norms by representing women indoors. Monet depicts his wife occupied with embroidery, a pursuit that was viewed as proper and appropriate for women of her social class. This representation reinforced traditional gender roles and expectations within the domestic sphere. We can better understand art by studying the social expectations of the time. We can consult period documents and gender studies literature to learn more about the place of women in French society.