Gesellschaft von Damen und Herren im Freien lagernd, am Fuße eines Hügels mit einem Tempelchen, ein Führer zeigt einem jungen Paar die Landschaft 

Johann Friedrich August Tischbein made this drawing of a group of men and women outside, at the foot of a hill with a temple, probably in Germany. It's likely this group portrait was commissioned to commemorate a particular outing or event. Leisure was increasingly available to a wider segment of the population in the late 18th century, but the attire of these figures confirms that they belong to the wealthier classes. We see men drinking and ladies chatting, while a guide gestures to the view for a courting couple, and even a temple in the background: all conventional signifiers of the good life. The image normalizes the social structures of its time. The men's hats and ladies' dresses, the guide's solicitousness, and the overall presentation of the group all signify established hierarchies. To understand more fully the context for this work, we might research the artist, the sitters, and the cultural history of outdoor leisure activities in Germany at the time. We can only interpret art within specific social and institutional contexts.