Sculptuur van een liggende Psyche door Charles Auguste Fraikin, tentoongesteld op de Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations van 1851 in Londen 1851

This is a photograph of Charles Auguste Fraikin's sculpture of a reclining Psyche, taken at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. The original sculpture garnered significant attention, reflecting the Victorian era's fascination with classical mythology and ideals of beauty. Psyche, in Greek mythology, embodies the soul, often depicted as a beautiful woman. Fraikin’s sculpture invites us to consider how women's bodies were aestheticized and allegorized in the 19th century. The reclining pose and idealized form speak to the male gaze prevalent in art of this period, while also subtly hinting at the vulnerability and emotional depth associated with the female figure. In a time of rapid industrialization and social change, the sculpture of Psyche offered a connection to a timeless narrative. It encapsulates the Victorian era's complex negotiation between tradition and modernity, and between public expectation and personal experience.