Lezende dame in chaise longue in een interieur 1856 - 1925

Charles Albert Waltner created this print, *Lezende dame in chaise longue in een interieur*, with etching. The print depicts a woman in repose, surrounded by the trappings of bourgeois life, such as paintings and a flower arrangement. Likely made in France, the image speaks to the visual culture of the late 19th century. Waltner reproduces the kind of intimate domestic scene that was popular with Impressionist painters and their audiences. But what exactly is Waltner trying to communicate about this scene and the woman it depicts? Does it reflect the conservative values of the time, in which women were seen as the guardians of domestic life? Or is there something more critical going on here? Answering such questions involves research into the popular literature and images of the time. By comparing Waltner's print to other depictions of women and domesticity, we can better understand what is being said about the sitter and her place in the world.