Man en vrouw worden 1895

This lithograph titled ‘Man en vrouw worden,’ or ‘Man and Woman Becoming,’ was made by the French artist Georges Hermann Rene Paul. The work depicts a wedding ceremony, but its caricatural style hints at a critique of the social institution of marriage. Consider the period in which this was made; what were the prevalent social expectations around marriage? What opportunities were available to women outside of the family home? This artwork may be reflecting growing social dissatisfaction with gender roles at the time. Such commentary could certainly have been informed by the artist's social and political context in France. The Third Republic was a time of social change and political debates. To understand it fully we might dig into sources such as newspapers, literature and political pamphlets that would have reflected the concerns of the time.