Twee zingende vrouwen en een pianospelende vrouw in Parijse mode 1861

Editor: So, here we have an 1861 lithograph print called "Two Singing Women and a Woman Playing Piano in Parisian Fashion," attributed to an anonymous artist, in the Rijksmuseum collection. I'm struck by how staged it feels. The women seem more like mannequins displaying these elaborate dresses than individuals engaged in music. What's your take? Curator: That sense of display is key, isn't it? We have to consider the social context: fashion plates like this weren't just art; they were commercial tools, shaping and reflecting the aspirations of a specific class of women. Consider, for a moment, how this image performs a very specific kind of femininity. Do you see any tension between domesticity and spectacle at play? Editor: Definitely. There’s the implied intimacy of a musical gathering at home, but those enormous dresses are practically shouting, “Look at me!” I’m also noticing how the faces are rather generic, almost interchangeable. Curator: Precisely! The dresses are the stars. But let's push further. How might we read these women's roles within the societal constraints of 1861? Were their identities, aspirations, or even their very beings defined by these clothes? Could you see a kind of social resistance or empowerment interwoven with these highly stylized modes? Editor: It's interesting to think about how these images were consumed. Were they meant to inspire dreams of upward mobility, or simply to reinforce existing class structures? Maybe even question those structures through a parody of fashionable styles? Curator: Exactly! The consumption, distribution and display of these prints contribute to a broader narrative on gender, class, and the performance of identity. It encourages us to challenge these conventions, as many artists have, in our time and in history. Editor: This makes me rethink how I initially perceived the print as just a straightforward depiction of fashion. Curator: It’s a visual document brimming with social and cultural complexities, offering insights into how women negotiated their roles within the prescribed norms of 19th-century Paris. Thank you.