Untitled 

Harrison Fisher, born in 1877, painted this unnamed watercolor evoking the opulence of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fisher, who would later be known as the "American Beauty" artist, skillfully captures the nuances of class and gender. In this piece, we see two women riding in an open carriage attended by uniformed staff. The women, adorned in elaborate hats and dresses, embody the image of affluent white women, a recurring subject in Fisher's work. Their attire and demeanor speak of leisure and privilege, a stark contrast to the lives of many women at the time. The gaze of the main subject is one of practiced indifference to the world outside the carriage, underscoring the psychological distance between the upper class and the rest of society. Fisher's illustrations contributed to the construction of an idealized version of womanhood that both reflected and shaped the values of his time. While celebrating the aesthetic of feminine beauty, his work prompts us to consider the social realities and power dynamics inherent in these images.