Woman's Drawers c. 1939

Jean Peszel made this drawing of a pair of "Woman's Drawers" sometime between 1855 and 1995. This image invites us to consider the domestic sphere and the hidden labor of women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. How were gender roles being challenged or reinforced during the artist's lifetime? The meticulous detail in rendering the lace trim and the garment’s construction suggests a keen interest in the material culture of women's lives, but why focus on such an intimate, everyday object? Perhaps Peszel was making a comment on the restrictive nature of Victorian society, or maybe even challenging the traditional subjects of art. To fully understand this drawing, we might research fashion history, social commentaries of the time, and the artist's biography to unearth the social and cultural context that gives meaning to this intimate portrayal.