... So then, if you would permit me, I will have the honor of sending my carriage for you at eleven o'clock. -That would keep me in boots [?], p. 43 1852

Curator: This drawing by Paul Gavarni, its title being a fragment of dialogue, presents a fascinating glimpse into 19th-century social dynamics. The interplay between the figures immediately strikes me. What is your take? Editor: It's interesting. The man seems to be courting the woman, who looks unimpressed. I'm curious about the power dynamics at play here. Curator: Precisely. Consider the era. Gavarni was a keen observer of Parisian society, often critiquing its inequalities through his art. This image, with its subtle class distinctions, reflects the constrained roles available to women, where marriage was often a transaction. Editor: So, the woman's reaction could be read as resistance to those expectations? Curator: Absolutely. And Gavarni, through his satirical lens, might be inviting us to question those very norms. It makes you think about the agency women did or didn't have. Editor: That makes me consider how much things have changed, and how much they haven't. Curator: Exactly, a lens into history, with a mirror on our present.