Old Man Accosting a Young Woman 1774

Curator: At the Harvard Art Museums, we have Pierre Alexandre Wille’s drawing, "Old Man Accosting a Young Woman." Editor: The tension is palpable. The old man's face is shadowed, almost menacing, and the woman's expression reflects alarm. Curator: Wille created this piece in the 18th century, a period rife with social inequalities. The scene encapsulates a power dynamic—the older man, likely of higher status, intruding upon the young woman. The implication of transactional power is pretty clear to me. Editor: Absolutely. The purse clutched in her hand could be her undoing, or her salvation, as it seems to visually reinforce what she is up against. I'm struck by how the walking stick becomes another symbol of control. Curator: It's chilling, isn't it? But, I think, by portraying it, Wille perhaps is reflecting the attitudes of the period, and its inherent inequalities between women and men, old and young. Editor: Indeed. I feel it's important for us to recognize that these visual arrangements served as messages then, and still resonate in a similar way today.