Harlequin 

Erte designed "Harlequin" as a print that was part of a larger portfolio. It shows us his interest in theater, fashion and graphic design. The image creates meaning through visual codes that are associated with performance, in this case the harlequin figure. Erte spent his working life between France and the USA during the most transformative periods of the twentieth century. Consider how the changing social status of women in this period allowed the artist to play with gender in his designs. Also the growth of Hollywood and popular advertising as industries certainly had an influence on his aesthetic. One might want to consider Erte's portfolio as documents of social change. What do we know about the status of performers in this period? How were social classes and gender roles changing? Historians could consult a range of popular magazines, theater records, and costume design collections to reconstruct that world. The meaning of any artwork is contingent on its social and institutional context.