Illustration 1920

This is an advertisement from 1920 by Gerda Wegener for Malaceine rice powder, published in *La Vie Parisienne*. Wegener lived and worked during a period of significant cultural and social change, particularly regarding gender and sexuality. This ad depicts fashionable women in what seems to be an opera box. There’s an atmosphere of leisure and luxury that is typical of Wegener, whose work often reflected the burgeoning consumer culture of the early 20th century. Wegener, who was married to Lili Elbe, one of the first recipients of gender confirmation surgery, often explored themes of gender fluidity and identity in her art. One might see a subtle commentary on societal roles and expectations of women during the early 20th century. This advertisement is a delicate dance between societal expectations and the quiet assertion of individual identity, inviting us to reflect on the complexities of gender and representation.