Women's Studies 2158A/B Chapter Notes -The Horse Fair, Cross-Dressing, Transvestism

• School: Western University
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: Women's Studies 2158A/B
• Professor: Sonia Halpern

Document Summary

Lecture 005 reading disagreeably hidden : construction and constriction of the lesbian body in. Bonheur"s art offers, more than has previously been understood, a radical intervention in the visual and cultural construction of 19th century femininity and masculinity. She affected a masculine style of dress and grooming, which occasioned much public comment. Argued that the human faces in horse fair were hidden; although the human and personal element is indeed disagreeably hidden , it is not suppressed as completely as previously assumed. To understand these infrequent but unique self-portrayals, as well as their general absence, her work and life must be interpreted together within a wider context of sex, gender, and power. The works created within this circle of power and influence reveal the sharp contrasts in outlook between bonheur and the class that both dictated socially acceptable gender behaviour and strongly influenced her representation of such behaviour. Bonheur"s self-representation is an anomaly within the tradition of equestrian portraiture.