Soubrette, 1870 c. 1870

Curator: This watercolour drawing, dating back to around 1870, is called 'Soubrette' and is by the artist Bertall. Editor: There’s an immediate charm. The way the light washes over her, that subtle blush—it's like a fleeting, almost secretive moment captured. It gives her a delicate air. Curator: Bertall, a 19th-century French caricaturist, was adept at capturing social types of the period. The "soubrette" itself was a common stock character—a cunning, flirtatious maid or servant girl. This illustration invites us to examine those gendered roles that dominated society. What is she grasping there? Editor: Is that a letter? Her slightly turned head and outstretched arm, as if presenting something, evoke questions about communication, female agency, perhaps even forbidden liaisons of the era. I’m curious what she has to say. What impact is she having within the narrative implied? Curator: The sketch is indicative of its time, referencing theatre and romanticism, presenting this almost-generic representation of female adolescence. Her clothes immediately give a sense of her station in life, an illustration not just of someone but something... perhaps a representation of youth, longing, and the power dynamics present within social strata. The rose at the centre of her bodice is an interesting point to focus on. Editor: True. And note how Bertall's watercolor and pencil work are light, creating almost a dreamy, fairytale-like quality, a gentle image with social cues. Is she a tool or an actor in the politics of the era, and how does the sketch comment on it, and make us think today? Curator: Bertall captures not just a single girl but also a historical concept, a mirror reflecting attitudes and power structures of the nineteenth century that in certain senses continue to exist to this day. Editor: This conversation has transformed my first impression into something richer. What looked initially as mere charm now also suggests nuanced layers of historical female experience and social expectation.