Interieur met een lezende vrouw in een stoel 1859 - 1929

Pierre Vidal created this etching, "Interior with a Woman Reading in a Chair," sometime around the turn of the 20th century. It depicts a woman in a domestic setting, absorbed in a book. But what does it tell us about the place of women, reading and domesticity at this time? In France, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was an increased emphasis on female education and literacy, yet social expectations still largely confined women to the domestic sphere. Reading became a symbol of both intellectual curiosity and leisure for women of the middle and upper classes. The private space of the home, with its comfortable chair and soft lighting, reinforces the idea of women's confinement to domesticity. How does this image celebrate or critique the social role of women? By examining popular literature, advertisements, and etiquette manuals of the period, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between women, reading, and social expectations.