L'Averse 1898

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen created the print, L’Averse, capturing a Parisian woman navigating a downpour, sometime between 1880 and 1920. Steinlen’s artistic vision was shaped by his socialist convictions, leading him to often depict the lives of the working class. Here, the woman is shown in a moment of daily life, seemingly caught in an unexpected shower. Her elegant attire hints at a bourgeois background, yet she is alone, vulnerable to the elements. During this time, women's roles were sharply defined by class and social expectations, and here Steinlen captures the tension between the desire for independence and the constraints imposed by society. The dark, almost monochromatic palette evokes the somber mood of a rainy day, mirroring the often harsh realities faced by women in a rapidly changing urban environment. With its blend of social commentary and intimate observation, L’Averse invites us to consider the complex interplay of gender, class, and individual experience in the Belle Époque.