Liefdespaar op een eenvoudige zolderkamer 1833 - 1870

Adolphe Mouilleron created this print of a couple in a simple attic room with etching in the nineteenth century. Mouilleron made this image in France, a nation undergoing significant upheaval at the time. It captures the increasing interest of artists in everyday scenes and the lives of ordinary people. Prints like this one were often made for mass consumption and were circulated among a broad public. Notice how the artist uses light and shadow to create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability in this cramped domestic space. What can we say about the nature of love in the 19th century? Did the print reinforce or subvert social norms relating to gender roles and class divisions? As historians, we look to sources such as letters, diaries, and other visual material, like photographs and popular magazines, to better understand the cultural context in which this print was produced and consumed. By doing so, we can begin to understand its significance as a reflection of a specific moment in French social history.