Cette, from the Fancy Bathers series (N187) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This small chromolithograph, part of the "Fancy Bathers" series by Wm. S. Kimball & Co., presents a curious interplay of form and societal messaging. The composition is neatly divided: the bather occupies the foreground, her form rendered with soft curves and delicate coloring, while the geometric rigor of the wooden structure and the implied horizon line provide a contrasting backdrop. The limited palette, dominated by muted blues and browns, creates a sense of calm. The artist's choices aren't merely aesthetic; the bather's demure pose, combined with the industrial backdrop, highlights the tension between nature and encroaching modernity. The artist uses the female form to negotiate changing social norms, framing beauty within the context of industrial progress. This negotiation underscores the complex semiotics of representation in commercial art, revealing how such images both reflected and shaped cultural values.