Frauenkopf in einem Medaillon 

Otto Scholderer sketched this head of a woman in a medallion with graphite on paper. We can read this image as a conversation with art academies, a progressive institution at the time. The portrait suggests a tension between public and private life in Germany. Its simple lines portray a woman in a contained and respectable manner. However, the informality of the drawing medium and the soft lines suggest a more private and intimate setting. This contrast may speak to the changing expectations of women in the public and private spheres in the 19th century. Historical research can give us further insight into the domestic life of the sitter and the artist's relationship with the academy to better understand the image's meaning. The art historian works to find the context necessary to understand its place in cultural history.