Late 19th-Century French Poupées & Bébés
A Françoise and George Selz Lecture on Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century French Decorative Arts and Culture by Kathy Libraty

In this lecture, celebrated antique doll specialist, collector, and dealer Kathy Libraty will explore the cultural significance of dolls in late nineteenth-century France. With a rare opportunity to examine never-before-seen archival examples from the period, this talk will trace an evolution from the French Poupée—the Fashion Lady doll of the 1870s and her role as ambassador of la mode to the international community—to the rise of the French bébé, or child doll, in the 1880s. Through these dolls, Libraty will explore changing views on child rearing, as well as the increase in leisure time that permitted and encouraged the use of playthings. She will also discuss the socioeconomic conditions which turned these decorative art objects into an industry, marketable to a burgeoning middle class in France and abroad.

Bard Graduate Center is grateful for the generous support of the Selz Foundation.

April 9 at 6pm
38 West 86th Street, BGC Lecture Hall