Flirting on the Sea-Shore and on the Meadow 1874

Curator: This is "Flirting on the Sea-Shore and on the Meadow," designed by Winslow Homer. It depicts two scenes, one at the beach and another in a meadow. Editor: It feels very…contained, doesn’t it? Almost like little worlds held separate by the frame. Are they flirting, or just…existing? Curator: These illustrations often presented idealized, and gendered, views of leisure. Note how the women are more formally posed versus the reclining men below. It’s about constructing social narratives. Editor: I see what you mean. The women are posed. But the ducks…they seem to be having more fun than anyone. Curator: Precisely! And such depictions reinforce societal expectations regarding public behavior and courtship. Editor: I keep thinking, “what’s the real story here?” Maybe the ducks know something we don’t. Makes you wonder if what we see is ever truly what it seems.