Venster met gordijnen c. 1895 - 1910

Editor: This is "Venster met gordijnen," or "Window with Curtains," by Léon Laroche, probably made sometime between 1895 and 1910. It’s a print on paper, and I'm struck by how delicate and feminine it feels, especially with those pale pink and blue hues. What stands out to you when you look at it? Curator: It's interesting that you pick up on the 'feminine' quality. This print belongs to a tradition of decorative arts that, while seemingly apolitical, played a critical role in shaping ideas about domesticity and gender roles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Consider, for instance, who would have purchased this type of print? And what does it tell us about their social standing, their aspirations? Editor: I imagine it would have been affluent families, perhaps women decorating their homes… to emulate the kind of fashionable interiors that showed wealth and taste? Curator: Precisely! And taste is never neutral, is it? It's a performance, a marker of class and identity. Think about the labor involved in creating and maintaining these elaborate window treatments; who benefits from this system, and who is exploited? Even something as seemingly benign as a curtain design can be interrogated through the lens of power and inequality. These kinds of images not only dictate trends, but reflect, and subtly reinforce, societal norms. Does understanding its potential use in such a role change how you see it? Editor: It does make me think about it differently. It's not just a pretty drawing of curtains; it's a reflection of the social and economic structures of the time. I hadn’t considered all the layers behind something so seemingly simple. Curator: Exactly, and those layers are always present if we choose to look for them, even in the most seemingly decorative objects. This deeper analysis reveals not just beauty, but also the embedded politics within the artwork and society at large.