Jonge vrouw genaamd Gilline met luit 1869

Louis Jaugey made this etching of a young woman, Gilline, with a lute in the 19th century. The image resonates with the popular trope of women and musical instruments in art. How might this image speak to the complex social position of women, artistic production, and the institutions that frame them in nineteenth-century France? The woman appears to be a member of the bourgeoisie, her clothing suggests relative wealth. Is she a performer, an artist or perhaps a member of the nouveau riche? The French Salons of the time, dominated by the Academy des Beaux-Arts, often excluded women from serious artistic roles, reinforcing gendered stereotypes. Does this piece reinforce or challenge such stereotypes? By consulting archives, exhibition catalogs, and period literature, we can better understand the complex interplay of gender, class, and artistic expression in 19th-century France. The meaning of the image, then, relies on the context of its creation.