Landschap met twee vrouwen op een bank die een album bekijken 1834

This lithograph, by the Belgian artist Théodore Fourmois, depicts two well-dressed women looking at an album while sitting on a bench in a landscape. The image invites reflection on the social and cultural significance of the art album in 19th century Europe. The creation and viewing of albums was a popular activity among the middle class. The albums provided women with an acceptable artistic outlet, as well as reinforcing social bonds. The woman on the left has her arm on her friend's back, showing us the intimate connection between the women. The presence of this particular image in a national collection like the Rijksmuseum speaks to how tastes change over time. Something once seen as a domestic craft can, centuries later, be recognized as an important piece of cultural history. Historians of art and culture use a wide range of resources to gain insight into images like these, including period guidebooks, etiquette manuals, and even examples of the albums themselves.