Heures Du Soir. Mlle Laure Deveria c. 1830

Editor: So, here we have Achille Devéria's "Heures Du Soir. Mlle Laure Deveria," a lithograph from around 1830. It’s a lovely portrait. The textures seem really emphasized. What visual stories are told through those intricate details? Curator: A question well posed. The careful rendering of Mlle Laure Deveria's clothing and surroundings immediately conveys a sense of wealth and status, yes? However, I think it also captures the evolving concept of femininity in the Romantic era. Observe the softness in her gaze, the delicate posture. This conveys a gentility tied to domesticity, and evening rest, where leisure, reading, needlework and polite social encounters with other young ladies were carefully cultivated virtues. This, too, has significance. Do you think her fan suggests anything about the female position? Editor: I didn’t immediately consider the fan! Is it a suggestion of secret communication, flirtation, or perhaps even a barrier? Curator: Precisely! A fan could signify not only coquettishness, but, conversely, it becomes a tool of self-preservation in social circles. That controlled and stylized mode of communication provides women some control, don't you think, over their exposure, which may be reflected also in her repose on the settee and domestic scene. Editor: That's a great point. It seems that an understanding of the signifiers reveals layers of societal dynamics that I would otherwise miss. I'll be more conscious of the visual language of objects going forward. Curator: Indeed, that conscious approach opens new avenues of considering art from the past. I am pleased to share these considerations, and have learned from your own perspectives too.