Sculptuur door Richard James Wyatt, voorstellend Glycera, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen 1851

This photograph by C.M. Ferrier and F. von Martens documents Richard James Wyatt’s sculpture Glycera, which was displayed at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. The Great Exhibition was a celebration of industry and empire. Wyatt’s neo-classical sculpture embodies a certain Victorian ideal of beauty and femininity. Yet the title Glycera, a Greek courtesan, hints at the complex and often contradictory attitudes toward female sexuality during this time. The sculpture, immortalized in this photograph, invites us to consider the societal expectations placed on women, and how they were often idealized, sexualized and judged. It serves as a poignant reminder of the constraints and objectification women experienced, even as they navigated an era of supposed progress and enlightenment.