Recueil de planches, sur les sciences, les arts libéraux, et les arts méchaniques : avec leur explication

This is a page from Denis Diderot's "Recueil de planches," an 18th-century compendium of knowledge, part of his broader "Encyclopédie." The image presents the craft of fan making, and it offers us a glimpse into the lives of working women during the Enlightenment. While the Encyclopédie aimed to classify and celebrate human knowledge, including artisanal skills, it also inadvertently reveals the gendered division of labor. Here, women are depicted engaged in meticulous, repetitive tasks, underscoring their roles in production, yet also subtly highlighting the limitations placed upon them in a patriarchal society. Notice how the detailed illustrations show the stages of fan design, and how the labor is divided. What the image doesn't depict are the social hierarchies and economic disparities inherent in this system of production. The page then is not just a record of craft, but a reflection of the complex interplay between labor, gender, and knowledge in 18th century France.