The Lady in Black c. 19th century

Constantin Guys created this watercolor and ink drawing, "The Lady in Black," sometime in the mid-19th century. The image speaks to the shifting social roles of women in Second Empire France. Guys was a keen observer of Parisian life, and his art often depicted the fashions and social customs of the time. This woman, dressed in the height of fashion, is depicted with a confident air, embodying the era’s evolving ideals of femininity. We can imagine her frequenting the newly constructed department stores and public gardens of Haussmann's Paris, spaces that offered women unprecedented freedom. Her attire, while adhering to bourgeois norms, hints at the burgeoning consumer culture that shaped social identity. To fully understand Guys' work, we need to examine sources from fashion plates and social commentaries to the illustrated press, which can reveal how the image participates in contemporary conversations about class, gender, and the spectacle of modern life.