Two Ladies in a Carriage c. 19th century

Editor: This is Constantin Guys' "Two Ladies in a Carriage," currently at the Harvard Art Museums. I'm struck by its depiction of movement. What social dynamics do you think Guys is capturing here? Curator: This piece speaks to the performance of gender and class in 19th-century society. The carriage itself is a stage. Who has access to that stage? And what does their presentation suggest about societal expectations of women? Editor: So, the carriage isn't just transportation, but a symbol of something more? Curator: Exactly. The fleeting glimpse we get of the women invites us to question their agency and their roles in a patriarchal society. Considering Guys was a flâneur, what does it mean to document this from the outside? Editor: I see it now, it's a fleeting moment, and it's full of complex ideas.