Girl reading a book c. 1770 - 1780

Jean-Honoré Fragonard painted this portrait of a girl reading a book, though the exact date remains unknown. Fragonard, living in 18th century France, navigated a society of strict class divisions and burgeoning intellectual thought. Painted during the Enlightenment, this work offers a moment of introspection. We see a young woman absorbed in a book, her expression suggesting deep thought or perhaps emotional connection to the text. Reading, at this time, was a privilege largely reserved for the educated elite, and for women it offered a departure from traditional roles. The book here is a symbol of both intellectual and personal freedom. Fragonard captures not just the act of reading, but the interior world it opens up. It invites us to reflect on the power of literature to shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and the potential for both freedom and confinement found in the act of reading.