Les deux belles-soeurs 1898 - 1899

Édouard Vuillard created this print, "Les deux belles-soeurs," using lithography, a technique that allowed for the easy reproduction of images and became very popular at the turn of the century. Vuillard was a member of the Nabis, a group of Post-Impressionist avant-garde artists who aimed to overcome the division between the fine arts and the decorative arts. In France at the time, the decorative arts were thought of as a woman's sphere. So, we can see in this print, the decorative space of the domestic interior became a setting to explore intimate and informal scenes of modern life. Vuillard's print challenges the traditional hierarchy that saw paintings as superior to prints or decorative arts. To understand Vuillard’s print, we can look at the social role of women at the time, using magazines, advertisements, and literature. We can then begin to understand the image as part of the political and cultural landscape of Third Republic France.