Portret van een vrouw met hond 1752 - 1810

Antoine Louis Romanet created this print, Portret van een vrouw met hond, in the late 18th century. This portrait provides a lens into the world of women, class, and status in pre-revolutionary France. The woman’s dress, with its elaborate sleeves and high collar, speaks to the fashion of the aristocracy. But it is the dog sitting attentively by her side that perhaps most potently symbolizes the sitter’s elevated position. Domestic animals, particularly small breeds like the one depicted, were luxury items, accessible only to the privileged classes. Portraits like this one reveal the rigid social hierarchies and gendered expectations of the period. The sitter appears composed and constrained, reflecting the limited agency afforded to women in aristocratic circles. The dog, in its quiet attentiveness, mirrors her own expected demeanor. Yet, the dog may also symbolize the emotional attachments and small comforts that defined women’s domestic sphere. These objects offer a glimpse into the complex negotiations of identity, status, and personal expression.