Canapé, fauteuil en stoel 1885 - 1895

Curator: This print, simply titled "Canapé, fauteuil en stol" is by Léon Laroche and dates to sometime between 1885 and 1895. We see various pieces of upholstered furniture: a settee, an armchair and a chair. Editor: It has this faded charm about it, doesn't it? Like an old photograph discovered in the attic. Makes you want to curl up with a forgotten novel. Curator: Absolutely. And thinking about the era, we see this decorative-art drawing and print really reflects the neo-classicalism. It hints at the complex dynamics of domestic spaces and gendered identities during that time. Note, for example, the settee, labeled "Canapé Bonne Femme", translating roughly to "good wife sofa"– suggesting a clear designation for the woman of the house. Editor: "Good Wife Sofa"—sounds so delightfully subversive, like something out of an Ibsen play. I love how these objects, seemingly innocuous, can hold all sorts of loaded social commentary. Curator: Precisely! The print showcases the furniture itself, but, as an object intended for distribution to furniture makers, we see an interplay between domestic ideology and commercial intent. The goal would have been the sale of these items, to solidify, and project certain values. It is interesting, don’t you think, to consider these pieces, and what their design signals about status, gender and the performance of bourgeois domesticity? Editor: Definitely. It's funny how objects absorb these histories and project them back at us. You can almost feel the weight of expectation radiating from that 'good wife sofa'! Maybe this wasn’t a ‘good wife sofa’, perhaps a stage for a grand escape. Curator: I’m glad we noticed how this particular piece sparks our collective imaginations! Editor: Agreed! Thanks for providing your nuanced perspective!