Twee geliefden bij een open raam 1828

Alexandre Evariste Fragonard made this print of two lovers at a window sometime in the first half of the 19th century. The image portrays a clandestine meeting, laden with suggestions of the social mores of the time. In 19th century France, the institution of marriage was tightly governed by social expectations and class distinctions, often turning it into an economic arrangement rather than a union based on love. Here we see a woman, possibly a wife, receiving a lover through a window, a common trope in art and literature of the time that critiques these social constraints. The furtive nature of the rendezvous, emphasized by the title "Le Saut Par la Fenetre," or "The Jump Through the Window," speaks volumes about the limited freedoms within the domestic sphere and the societal pressures that pushed individuals to seek love outside the bounds of matrimony. Understanding art like this requires us to look into the historical context: conduct archival research and consult period literature, to fully appreciate the print’s subtle commentary on the social structures of its time.