La Belle Jardiniere – August 1896

Eugène Grasset designed “La Belle Jardiniere – August” as a print, during the late 19th-century Art Nouveau movement, where the decorative arts were at the forefront. In this idyllic scene, a woman is depicted as one with nature, surrounded by sunflowers and water lilies. She’s like a caretaker, responsible for nurturing and protecting the environment. Yet, this image also speaks to the social expectations of women in the late 1800s, when their identities were intertwined with the concepts of beauty, domesticity and nature. The 'femme fleur', as she has been called, embodies both the beauty and the fragility of the natural world, echoing the stereotypes and limited roles assigned to women during this time. Grasset’s print invites us to reflect on the complex interplay between gender, nature, and representation, and challenges us to consider the historical context in which these images were created and consumed.