A Flower Seller Making Her Bouquets 

Victor Gabriel Gilbert painted "A Flower Seller Making Her Bouquets" during a period of significant social change in France. While the exact date of the work isn't available, Gilbert was known for his depictions of working-class Parisians. Here, we see a young woman crafting bouquets, surrounded by a vibrant array of flowers. Gilbert often focused on the lives of women in the marketplace, capturing their resilience and industriousness. The flower seller's occupation offers a space to consider the economic roles available to women during this time, and the labor they performed in urban environments. While these images may seem romantic, they also reflect the realities of many women who had to work to support themselves and their families. Gilbert's painting presents a vision of female labor that is both intimate and public, inviting us to reflect on the complexities of women's lives in the urban landscape.