View of Issy (A Street in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Seine) 1820 - 1874

Thomas Shotter Boys created this watercolor, "View of Issy," capturing a street in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Seine. Born in 1803, Boys lived through a period of significant social change and industrial advancement, which influenced his choice of subject matter and artistic style. Here, Boys offers us a glimpse into the daily life of a small French town. The figures, most likely women, animate the street. Their presence suggests a narrative about the roles women occupied in the 19th century: note their dress codes, and how those visually set them apart from the rest of society. What is equally telling is what is absent: men of the industry, symbols of new technologies, and signs of social change are nowhere to be found. Boys thus invites us to consider the lives of those whose stories often go unacknowledged in favor of narratives of progress and industrialization.