La Belle Matineuse 1914

George Barbier made 'La Belle Matineuse', or 'The Beautiful Morning Woman', as a print in France in the early 20th century. This was a period when prints were very popular and widely collected. Barbier captures a woman in the intimate space of her bedroom as she wakes up in the morning, and the image is filled with cultural references to the period. The oriental style of the bedside table, the floral patterned wallpaper, and the tasselled bed canopy all speak of wealth and style. This vision of femininity was designed for the consumption of a male gaze, where women’s bodies were seen as objects of beauty and desire. Such images circulated freely within the commercialized world of fashion and popular magazines. When we look at art, we need to remember that its meaning is always affected by the social and institutional conditions in which it was made and viewed. We can use sources, such as magazines, letters, and exhibition reviews, to understand the role that this kind of image played in the culture of its time.