The Toilette 1862

Editor: Here we have Manet’s etching, *The Toilette*, undated, at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a rather intimate scene, and the printmaking feels so immediate, almost like a sketch. What can you tell me about its historical context? Curator: Etchings like this one allowed Manet to engage with a wider audience beyond the Salon system. The print medium itself democratized art, making it more accessible to the rising middle class and fostering a new market for more intimate, domestic scenes. Editor: So, it’s not just about depicting a private moment, but also about reaching a new audience? Curator: Precisely. Manet challenged the established art world by embracing printmaking and exploring themes that resonated with this burgeoning social class. The seeming informality was quite deliberate, a challenge to the pomp of official academic art. Editor: That’s a completely different way to see it, looking beyond the individual to the public role of art. Curator: Indeed. The etching is not just an image; it's an assertion of artistic independence and a savvy engagement with the changing landscape of art consumption.