Twee vrouwen kijken naar een spektakel beneden op straat 1843

Paul Gavarni made this print called "Two Women Watching a Spectacle Down in the Street" using lithography in nineteenth-century France. It depicts two women looking down from a window, seemingly entertained by something happening below. Gavarni was known for his satirical depictions of Parisian life, especially the lives of women. The print is part of a series titled "Les Lorettes", referring to a specific class of women in Paris at the time – often young, working-class women. They were known for their fashionable dress and perceived as being on the margins of society. Gavarni's images of the "Lorettes" often commented on the social and economic realities of their lives, including issues of class, gender, and morality. Historians would consider questions around the socio-economic conditions of 19th-century Paris, using sources such as newspapers, literature, and social commentary of the time. This print, like others in the series, serves as a lens through which we can explore those complex social dynamics and institutional forces.