Woman with a Tambourine 1807

Editor: This is "Woman with a Tambourine" by Charles Turner, made sometime before 1857. It's a print that feels both classical and a little haunting to me. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this print through the lens of performance and gender. How does the woman's act of playing the tambourine intersect with the male gaze, both within the depicted scene and potentially for its intended audience? Editor: That's a good question. Curator: Think about the power dynamics at play during the Romantic period. Whose stories are told, and who is relegated to the background, literally and figuratively, within landscapes like these? Editor: I never thought about it that way. Curator: Considering it in the light of women performers, perhaps a conversation starts about autonomy and artistic expression. Editor: Definitely something to think about! Curator: Exactly! Let’s remember to ask those questions about who is seen, who is not, and how the act of seeing perpetuates power structures.