La Mode Illustrée, 1884, No. 46 : Toilettes de Mme Delaunay (...) 1884

Curator: Take a look at this lovely print: "La Mode Illustrée, 1884, No. 46: Toilettes de Mme Delaunay (...)," created in 1884 by J. Bonnard. It's a watercolor illustration showcasing two women in fashionable attire. Editor: Oh, hello ladies! It looks like they’re having a tea party… or maybe gossiping about which hat to wear to the opera. There’s a softness to the scene – it feels intimate, almost like peeking into their parlor. Curator: Indeed. We see here a genre painting that presents highly constructed representations of femininity deeply embedded in its specific time, but which invites contemporary inquiry on intersectional themes such as identity, gender, and class. Editor: "Highly constructed"... that's one way to put it. All those bows and frills, and the corsets – yikes! It makes you wonder how much freedom these women really had, underneath all that… upholstery. But hey, maybe they liked it. Comfort is relative. Curator: Certainly. These fashion plates functioned as tools of social positioning. Through the depiction of such sartorial elegance, women aimed to achieve or reinforce a place within a stratified society where one's attire communicated one's socio-economic status. It begs us to ask questions of access and exclusion in a Bourgeois Paris… Editor: True, it was like wearable wealth. Though, let's be honest, as an artistic composition, the artist manages to do quite a bit with the watercolours. Notice how he captures light on the fabrics; each fold seems almost touchable! Also, there's something strangely calming about these muted pastel hues. Curator: I agree. Moreover, we must read it in context to fully grasp its historical and cultural resonance. Academic art like this was designed to uphold a very specific vision of beauty, domesticity, and female identity— Editor: A vision crafted by men, no doubt. Curator: ... precisely. Still, it presents a valuable opportunity to explore these societal constructs through art history and feminist theory. Editor: Well, for me, beyond the social implications, this watercolor just tickles my fancy with its aesthetic sensibilities. But absolutely, engaging with art involves acknowledging all its many layers! Curator: Precisely. Thank you for engaging with this complex print with me! Editor: The pleasure was all mine.