Fotoreproductie van een ontwerp van een liefdespaar en een putti die de man wijn inschenkt door J. Carpey before 1858

This photogravure shows an anonymous reproduction of J. Carpey's design featuring a couple and a putto pouring wine for the man. During this period, images of love and leisure were often idealized, masking deeper social inequalities. Consider the power dynamics at play. The woman reclines, seemingly passive, while the man is served. This echoes a broader cultural narrative where women's roles were often confined to the domestic sphere, their desires secondary to those of men. Who were these images really for? How might the rising middle class have used them to emulate aristocratic ideals, even as their own lives remained quite different? The putto, a symbol of innocence and desire, adds another layer. Is this a commentary on the intoxicating nature of love, or a reinforcement of societal expectations around courtship and marriage? While seemingly lighthearted, this image reflects the complex interplay of gender, class, and desire in a rapidly changing world. It invites us to question whose stories are being told, and whose are being left out.