Twee vrouwen en een meisje, Mai 1870 1870 - 1875

Editor: Here we have "Two Women and a Girl, May 1870," a drawing made between 1870 and 1875 by Jules David, housed at the Rijksmuseum. It's watercolor on paper, and right away, I'm struck by how delicately the fabrics are rendered; it's almost photographic in its detail. What do you notice first about this piece? Curator: Oh, that gossamer touch of the watercolors gets me every time. It's like stepping into a Jane Austen novel. But more than just fabric, isn't it fascinating how David captures the… unease, almost, in their postures? They're present, but slightly detached, lost in thought bubbles we can’t quite glimpse. Don't you get a sense of untold stories? Editor: I hadn’t thought of “unease," more like poised expectation. Untold stories, yes, absolutely! Is that typical of portraits from this period? Curator: It's a slice of "genre-painting," that invites you to imagine what is the untold. And maybe "unease" is my 21st-century reading—perhaps they're merely observing social niceties, holding back secrets we all keep. It’s delicious, isn’t it, to consider! Does it shift your reading if you focus not on who they *are*, but the possible hidden narrative between them? Editor: Definitely. Now, I'm picturing them plotting something… or someone! I wonder, do the colors or the lightness of the watercolour suggest anything about mood of that era? Curator: The watercolor brings an airiness that is also deceiving. David has perfectly rendered the clothing fashions but made their setting soft; so he gives detail while remaining mysterious. This era grappled with so many social questions – isn’t that exactly like these women appearing well put together, but… Editor: So true! I’ll never look at a watercolor the same way.