Les jolies femmes de Paris, 1848, No. 15 : Madame, faut-il laisser (...) c. 1848

"Les jolies femmes de Paris, 1848, No. 15 : Madame, faut-il laisser (...)" is a lithograph from the 1840s by an anonymous artist. The work, now part of the Rijksmuseum collection, depicts a woman reclining on a chaise lounge, reading a book, while a second woman, partially obscured, stands in the doorway. The scene, perhaps a domestic or boudoir setting, carries an air of intimacy and intrigue, heightened by the written dialogue, suggesting a playful exchange between the women. The artist's style, characterized by delicate lines and tonal shading, captures the spirit of mid-19th-century French lithographic printmaking.