Young Girls at the Window 1892

Berthe Morisot painted Young Girls at the Window with oil on canvas; we don't know exactly when. As a female Impressionist, Morisot often depicted women in domestic spheres, subtly challenging the restricted roles assigned to them in 19th-century bourgeois society. Here, two young girls are captured in a moment of quiet contemplation by a window. Positioned at the threshold of inside and out, are they looking out or looking in? What do they see? The girls are both together, and apart. One, in a blue dress, looks down, while the other, dressed in white, looks out. The window frames not just the girls but also their gazes, suggesting a world of possibilities beyond the confines of their immediate surroundings. Morisot, also confined by social expectations, used painting as a means of expression and independence. The painting invites us to reflect on the experience of young women coming of age in a world of possibilities and limitations. The intimate setting evokes a sense of nostalgia, hinting at the complex relationship between space, identity, and gender.