Venster met gordijnen / Haard met draperieën c. 1885 - 1895

Léon Laroche made this print of a window and fireplace with draperies, using an unrecorded technique. The image belongs to a tradition of design that gained prominence in France and other European countries. Interior design, as a discipline, emerged as a response to new economic structures, as a growing bourgeois class sought to define its identity through the display of wealth and taste in private spaces. Publications like this one provided patterns and models for domestic display. Note how the image is split into two: a window and a fireplace, both of which are adorned with elaborate draperies. This hints at the social rituals of display and domesticity. The image is not just about aesthetics; it is a window into the aspirations and values of a society undergoing significant transformation. Design history offers insights into social history. We can consult archival sources and period publications to better understand its cultural and economic context. The image embodies an attitude toward art and design as an expression of the social and institutional conditions of the time.