Sketchbook page c. 1776

Curator: There's an intimacy to this humble "Sketchbook Page" by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin in the Harvard Art Museums. It's just a quick graphite sketch. Editor: Yes, a fleeting impression. It evokes a feeling of quiet observation, a stolen moment perhaps. Curator: The woman at her desk, back turned, feels like an emblem of feminine intellect and domesticity combined. There's a bottle, maybe ink or something stronger, on the table. Editor: The lack of detail makes her archetypal. She could be any woman of her era, writing letters, managing household affairs. It highlights the often-unseen labor of women. Curator: And that simple stool she's perched on. It adds to the candid nature of the scene, as if Saint-Aubin captured her unaware. Editor: Exactly. It becomes a commentary on the role of observation in art and how artists frame the everyday. Curator: The sketch seems deceptively simple, but the way the artist implies so much with so little is quite powerful. Editor: It makes you wonder what the socio-economic implications were for women, stuck in this daily cycle. Curator: A lovely, almost casual, entry point to a world that shaped us, one sketch at a time. Editor: It definitely provides a new lens to see the role of women in our society.