Woman in a Yellow Dress c. 1900

Jules Chéret created this artwork of pastel on paper, titled "Woman in a Yellow Dress". During the Belle Époque in France, a time of optimism and peace, images of women in art shifted towards ideals of beauty and leisure, a reflection of the changing roles and visibility of women in public life. Chéret's work, with its central figure of a woman in a flowing yellow dress, adorned with flowers, can be seen through this lens. She embodies a spirit of celebration and joy, a stark contrast to the constraints women faced in society. The surrounding masked figures hint at the themes of identity and performance. These elements could express the complexities of female representation in art, where women were often depicted through the male gaze, their true identities obscured. Chéret's woman in yellow encapsulates a moment of exuberance and freedom, yet subtly acknowledges the layers of societal expectations and hidden identities that women navigated during this transformative period.