Colonnade in Parc Monceau te Parijs 1867

This is 'Colonnade in Parc Monceau te Parijs,' a drawing made by Maria Vos. Vos, a Dutch artist, worked at a time when women had limited access to formal artistic training and professional opportunities, yet she navigated these constraints to pursue her artistic passions. This sketch offers a glimpse into the leisure spaces of 19th-century Paris through a woman's eyes. Parks like Monceau were carefully designed to display wealth and power, but also served as places where people from different social classes came together. Vos's choice to capture this scene raises questions about her own position as a woman artist in a rapidly changing society. Was she an observer, a participant, or something in between? Through this work, Vos invites us to reflect on the complexities of gender, class, and representation in the visual arts.