Oude vrouw met muts 1895

Eugène Martel made this pencil drawing of an old woman with a bonnet, sometime between 1869 and 1947. We cannot know the exact date, but it is useful to consider the social standing of women at that time. During that period, women were fighting for the right to vote and become more involved in political life. What would a modern woman's rights activist make of this image? Does the artist portray the old woman as weak and feeble, or strong and resilient? The period of La Belle Époque was one of great social change and it is worth considering how the institution of the art gallery or museum either helped or hindered the cause of social progress. To know more, scholars might look at the records of art schools and political organisations from that period, to better understand how artists themselves engaged with progressive politics. It's also worth looking at the artist's other work. Art always reflects the society that produced it, whether it reinforces the status quo or challenges it.