Fotoreproductie van De romanlezeres door Antoine Wiertz before 1868

This is a photographic reproduction by Edmond Fierlants of Antoine Wiertz's painting, "The Novel Reader," made in Belgium in the mid-19th century. It depicts a woman reclining in bed, engrossed in a novel, seemingly oblivious to the world around her. The image encapsulates the growing accessibility of literature and the expanding role of women in society. In 19th-century Europe, increased literacy rates, along with the rise of the novel as a popular form of entertainment, offered women a new avenue for intellectual and emotional exploration. This piece reflects the shifting social landscape of the time and the changing perceptions of women's roles and desires. To fully understand this image, one should consider the prevailing social attitudes towards female education and leisure, the increasing commodification of art through photography, and the institutional framework of art production and distribution during this period. The image and the responses to it, are contingent on these social and institutional contexts.