19th Century Pair Of French School Charcoal Drawings~Sold~

19th Century French School Delicate Pair of Charcoal and White Wash Drawing of A Young Woman.

Drawn in bold and quite modern strikes, these two drawings touch on the subject of the modernization of the ‘Bourgeois society households circa 1880 in the south of France.
They both represent the same woman taken at different times in her day.
In one we see the young mother spending time with her young child, away from nannies and wet nurses, while reclining on a daybed or ‘Duchess Brisée’ in French.

The thought and action was quite revolutionary for that period, which saw woman of a higher standing, taking a more hands on approach to raising their children, and distancing themselves from the way they had been raised.
The scene is very tender with a smile playing on the woman’s lips while the child seems to reach out to her.
The effect is highlighted by the décor shown behind the mother and child, with a lovely fresco of Cherubs playing above them.

The second drawing shows again the young woman this time seeming to be choosing fabric for her house.
Once again the hands on approach were a big change in the last part of the 1800s.
Here as well the Charcoal strikes are very bold, very direct, giving us an indication that the artist was accustomed to this particular household and took pleasure in doing rough sketches of its daily rituals.
The glimpse we get of the house décor in both drawings, indicates a bourgeois household, quite possibly in Aix En Provence since the drawings were found in Provence.
They fit perfectly in a boudoir scene…
The drawing are done in Charcoal or Fusain and highlighted with white chalk strokes.

Ours drawings have the following dimensions:
The Drawing are 13.50 inches wide by 16.50 inches high
The Frames are 20.50 inches wide 23.50inches high

Reference number: R-161