The Toilet, from The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope c. 1895 - 1896

Aubrey Beardsley made this pen and ink drawing as an illustration for Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic poem, "The Rape of the Lock." Beardsley was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement in England, which valued beauty and art for its own sake. This image depicts the elaborate preparations of a fashionable woman at her dressing table, reflecting the poem's satirical look at the vanities and trivialities of upper-class society in 18th-century England. Beardsley’s style, with its decadent, curvilinear forms, was influenced by Japanese prints. His work often explored themes of eroticism and artificiality, challenging Victorian moral standards. To fully understand Beardsley’s art, you must investigate the cultural history of the Aesthetic movement, as well as the institutions of art that either promoted or rejected his style. Research into the social history of the time helps us understand how Beardsley’s illustrations reflect and critique the values of his society.