Twee dames bij een gordijn 1881

This print of two women by a curtain was made by Juan Antonio González in the late 19th century. The scene is an intimate portrait of women in a domestic space, reminiscent of the leisure activities of the bourgeoisie in Europe at the time. Visual codes such as the fashionable dresses, elegant furniture, and private setting are telling. It suggests the women depicted occupy a certain social class. During this period in Spain, there was a growing middle class, but it remained small, in a country that was primarily agrarian and economically dependent on land ownership. Prints like these were circulated and consumed widely. Their popularity as an art form reflects the rise of mass media and consumer culture during the Industrial Revolution. Historical research and institutional records can help us understand how art shapes and reflects its own time, and how social values influence artistic styles and trends.