Two Standing Ladies (Demoiselles Quantin) 1758

Daniel Chodowiecki made this print, "Two Standing Ladies," in 1758. Look closely and you'll notice a dead bird lying at their feet, which makes this more than just a portrait of fashionable women. The ladies' dress places them squarely in the bourgeois world of mid-18th century Germany. Chodowiecki's work often touched on contemporary social issues, and prints like this one were often bound in books or circulated independently. The dead bird introduces an element of vanitas. Such images often served as moral lessons in the instability of human life. But what is Chodowiecki's specific message here? Perhaps, by posing these women next to the dead bird, he is making a statement on the social role of women and the dangers awaiting them if they do not follow social codes. Further research into the artist's other works and the social context of 18th-century Germany might help us understand his full intention. Ultimately, art history reveals the past as a complex interplay of social context and artistic expression.