Robåden sættes i vandet (La Barque mise a flot) 1770

Rosalie Bertaud made this print, "La Barque mise a flot," sometime in the late 18th century. Bertaud lived and worked in a historical moment where women artists navigated complex social expectations and gendered constraints, often finding success in genres like portraiture and printmaking. Here, we see an intriguing coastal scene, where figures engage in launching a boat. But who are these figures? Are they members of the aristocracy at leisure? The expressions and identities of those pulling the boat along the shore are in stark contrast to the subjects standing close by. As such, Bertaud’s composition evokes a potent sense of class disparity. The print invites reflection on the hidden stories of labor and leisure during a period of social upheaval, and raises essential questions about who gets to be seen, and whose stories are told.