Illustration For Charles Perraults Bluebeard 1868

Gustave Doré drew this illustration for Charles Perrault's Bluebeard. Doré was one of the most successful illustrators in 19th century France and in this image, he's playing with some of the most recognizable tropes of Romanticism. Here is a single, isolated figure, caught in a moment of anguish. In the original story, Bluebeard is about to murder his wife when she is rescued. Doré instead chooses to capture the moment when he realizes his wife has discovered the bodies of his former spouses. What we see is guilt, but also the frustrated rage of a man whose secrets have been exposed. Such an image would have resonated with Dore's audience at a time of rapid social change, when older models of authority were under threat. To understand more, we can read the original text, but also look at the visual conventions of the time in the illustrated press. What is the public role of art in moments of social anxiety?