Public Secondary Education of Young Women, 1884 1884

Louis-Oscar Roty's "Public Secondary Education of Young Women" (1884) is a circular medal depicting two women, a seated figure with a book and a young woman standing beside her, likely symbolizing education and the student. The inscription surrounding the figures reads "Virgines Statuas Virorum Matres Respublica Docet," meaning "The Republic teaches young women to be mothers of strong men." This work, in the style of Neoclassicism, exemplifies the social and educational ideals of late 19th-century France, celebrating the growing role of women in society.