Modes et Manières d'Aujourd'hui, 1922, Pl. 2 : Piano et chant 1922 - 1923

Fernand Siméon made this print titled 'Modes et Manières d'Aujourd'hui, 1922, Pl. 2 : Piano et chant’ in 1922. It offers us a window into the cultural aesthetics and social rituals of the Parisian bourgeoisie during the roaring twenties. Note the interior. The wallpaper, the sculpture on the piano and even the music in hand, all speak to a cultivated existence centered around artistic pursuits and social performance. The woman at the piano, and her friend, embody the image of the ‘modern woman’ – independent, educated, and engaged in the arts. We can imagine the scene filled with the sounds of music and conversation, as these women carve out spaces for themselves in a rapidly changing society. Yet, the image also hints at the constraints of their class and gender, confined to the domestic sphere, their identities shaped by social expectations. The print encapsulates the blend of liberation and limitation that defined the lives of many women in the interwar period.