The Bath of the Marquise 

Erte made this print of ‘The Bath of the Marquise’ as part of a portfolio that was published in France, possibly in the 1920s. It’s an image that reflects the style known as Art Deco, an aesthetic that was very influential between the two World Wars. The image suggests a wealthy woman taking a bath, attended by a servant. It creates meaning through its use of visual codes relating to luxury and status. Think of the formality of the composition, the stylised natural forms and the presence of the attendant. These are things we might associate with the visual arts of the French royal court from the 17th and 18th centuries. However, here they seem exaggerated, almost theatrical. The image seems to comment on the traditional hierarchies of European society. What are we to make of the obscured face of the servant and the direct gaze of the Marquise? To understand this image more fully, we might consider what was happening in France at this time, using historical resources such as magazines and newspapers. This can help us understand the image and its place in the history of art.