These Remarkable 19th-Century Artworks Uncover the Complexities of the Modern Woman

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In a striking portrayal from 1883, the artist James Tissot captures the essence of a young woman gazing thoughtfully at the viewer, her wide eyes filled with emotion. Adorned in an elaborate outfit complete with fur-trimmed sleeves, a towering hat adorned with ribbons, and a collar bursting with bows, the subject of Tissot’s piece, titled Sunday Morning, clutches a Bible, hinting at her intended visit to church. Yet, her expressive gaze and slightly furrowed brow convey a sense of unease and introspection—questions arise: Is she troubled by guilt or concerns of the heart?

Tissot’s ability to weave ambiguous narratives into his artworks, combined with his keen eye for the intricate details of women’s fashion, garnered him a discerning clientele in both France, his birthplace, and England, where he enjoyed his artistic zenith. His diverse range of subjects often highlighted fashionable, bourgeois women, depicted in various social settings reflective of late 19th-century life. In vibrant paintings and finely crafted prints, Tissot’s subjects can be seen navigating the domestic sphere, social gatherings, and romantic encounters, embodying the complexities of modern existence during that transformative era.

A curated selection of Tissot’s works, including Sunday Morning, is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto. The exhibition, titled “Tissot, Women and Time,” delves into the multifaceted, often contradictory representations of women in Tissot’s oeuvre, particularly reflecting on their interactions with the concept of time.

The late 19th century was marked by rapid societal change across Europe, driven by the Industrial Revolution. With intensified travel and urban migration overwhelming cities, a shift in the perception of time emerged. As exhibition co-curator Mary Hunter, an art historian at McGill University, explains, the previous organic fluidity of time was supplanted by stricter, standardized notions to cater to an industrial society’s needs. “Greenwich Mean Time was established in 1884, primarily to facilitate train schedules,” Hunter attests, underscoring the necessity for synchronizing clocks across different locales.

Nevertheless, time remains a subjective experience, characterized by individual perception. The exhibition contends that Tissot’s artwork reflects women’s experiences of both accelerated and languorous time, revealing conflicting notions of femininity during an era of evolving gender roles. Women in his pieces epitomize modernity, displaying fashionable elegance and agency while simultaneously reflecting the slower rhythms of domestic life that seemed to encapsulate them.

A London love affair

Born in 1836 in Nantes, a coastal city in France, Tissot was immersed in fashion from an early age, influenced by his family’s involvement in textiles. He moved to Paris in 1857, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and mingled with avant-garde contemporaries like Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet. Tissot would eventually decline Degas’ invitation to join the Impressionist movement at their inaugural exhibition in 1874, believing he needed neither the exposure nor monetary gain. Nevertheless, his works shared a commitment to portraying modern life.

Tissot was drawn to portrayals of high society’s lifestyles, earning acclaim among wealthy patrons in Paris, yet he harbored a desire for England. A profound Anglophile, Tissot even altered his name from Jacques-Joseph to James. Following the turmoil of the Franco-Prussian War, which he fought in as a sharpshooter, Tissot relocated to London, escaping the political strife that ensued.

Upon settling in London, Tissot became a perceptive observer of Victorian life, creating works that ranged from lavish social gatherings to the lives of women from various walks of life, including those poor in status fishing on the Thames. While some critics dismissed his art as too scandalous, the artist garnered popularity among the city’s elite for his captivating, often humorous portrayals. Embracing the printmaking technique of etching, Tissot made his art more accessible to the public, allowing him to purchase a residence in London’s fashionable St. John’s Wood area. It was close to this address that he met his intriguing muse, Kathleen Newton.

Newton, an Irishwoman 18 years junior to Tissot, had gained notoriety as a divorced mother after her marriage ended. Despite the societal norms of the time, which discouraged such relationships, Tissot and Newton formed a profound bond, living together in his home, where Newton often served as his muse. Although Tissot’s subjects typically did not depict specific women, Newton’s likeness frequently reappeared in his work.

The years they spent together were filled with joy yet marred by societal constraints. Tissot faced internal conflicts arising from their unconventional relationship, navigating his desire to connect with the British elite while bound by the moral complexities of his Catholic upbringing. Hunter observes, “His art found a market among British society, yet he could not freely participate in that world with his partner.” In this tension arises a richness in Tissot’s artistic legacy as he grappled with his identity and the evolving landscape of modern society.

Fast time …

The exhibition features vibrant artworks that encapsulate the frenetic pace of modern life, such as Emigrants (1880), where a woman stands at the edge of a ship, a baby cradled in her arms amidst the tumultuous backdrop of masts and sails. This work is emblematic of Tissot’s exploration of women across social classes; while she is not impoverished, her positioning suggests a life outside the elite circles he often painted. Art historian Nancy Rose Marshall has remarked that this piece captures “the universality of the drive to leave one’s home in search of a better life.”

Wealthy women also found representation in Tissot’s cityscapes, engaging in activities that denoted their social standing. The Portico of the National Gallery, London (1878) features a fashionable woman poised on the steps of the renowned museum, artist portfolio in hand. Here, Tissot, while showing her dedication to art, leaves readers to ponder her relationships and companions. The shadow cast behind her suggests the presence of another person, sparking questions about her outing—Is she with a friend, or perhaps a romantic partner?

The representation of women within urban settings is a significant aspect of Tissot’s work. As historian Lydia Murdoch points out, the emergence of the modern woman coincided with her claims to public space in the late 19th century, amid struggles against restrictive laws like the Contagious Diseases Acts. These laws allowed police to detain women suspected of impropriety, sparking a fierce backlash from women advocating for their rights. “To be in public could lead to being accused of immorality,” Murdoch states, highlighting the societal fears surrounding women’s autonomy.

In tandem with calls for educational reforms for women, a theme reflected in Tissot’s The Newspaper (1883), which features a woman absorbed in reading a paper—an activity associated with enlightenment and progressive thinking. During a period when women primarily read fashion magazines and novels, Tissot’s portrayal pushed societal norms, showcasing a modern woman engaging with current events.

… and slow time

These vibrant scenes intricately contrasted with numerous works depicting women immersed in leisurely domesticity. In Tissot’s paintings, women engage in reading, embroidery, or simply reflect in silence. Works like The Hammock (1880) illustrate a woman reclined in a quiet garden, embodying a serene and ornamental presence. The scene invokes an idealized version of femininity associated with the leisure class—the woman holds a prominent wedding ring and reads in peaceful solitude.

Tissot’s depictions also frequently feature women in states of rest or recovery—an artistic fit for the 19th-century European sensibilities. Hunter notes how these depictions reflect a “male fantasy of the unconscious, freer, sleeping woman.” The imagery offered Victorian audiences a palatable kind of allure, harmonizing with the splendor of these women’s lifestyles yet retaining a semblance of decorum.

In The Convalescent (1872), a young woman lounges in a greenhouse, exuding an intimate charm enhanced by her loosely draped hair and delicate housecoat adorned with intricate embroidery. The opulence of her surroundings, a testament to colonial influence, further juxtaposes her stillness against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. She remains shielded from the industrial pace, enmeshed in idleness as she seeks restoration.

Tissot’s illustrations of affluent women reflect the privileges of class; however, Hunter suggests that they also signify an artist’s imaginative interpretation of changing dynamics within society. “As women gained education and rights, including divorce,” she explains, “the imagery depicts a femininity that remains anchored in domesticity.” The tension introduced by these shifts reveals complexities in Tissot’s representation of femininity in a modernizing society.

The women of Paris

Tissot’s artistic journey took a melancholic turn following the death of Kathleen Newton from tuberculosis in 1882. Deeply affected by this loss, Tissot returned to Paris to reclaim his place in the art world, culminating in a significant series known as La Femme à Paris, or The Women of Paris, intended to capture the essence of modern Parisian women.

The AGO’s exhibition includes reproductions from this ambitious series alongside original prints, such as The Shop Girl (1883-1885). These illustrations showcase the vibrancy of women in an urban landscape, emphasizing the multifaceted roles they played amid modern life. For instance, The Shop Girl highlights the image of a sales attendant in a bustling store, signaling the rise of consumer culture in 19th-century Paris. Dressed modestly yet poised, she represents the emerging respectability of working-class women against a backdrop underscored by sexual advances, illustrated by a male passerby peering through the store window.

Malcolm Warner notes that, “Each scene [of The Women of Paris] imbedes an element of eroticism,” referencing the cultural implications associated with the Parisienne and modernity. Despite Tissot’s grandeur, contemporary French critics deemed his works outdated, arguing his subjects epitomized what they deemed an outmoded aesthetic even as fashion transformed around him. Following this period, Tissot shifted his focus toward deeply religious themes, actively pursuing the study of Spiritualism under the belief that he was in communication with Newton’s spirit.

Tissot passed away in 1902, leaving behind an oeuvre characterized by its inability to fit neatly into the categories of French Impressionism or Victorian art, often regarded as too French for one, too English for the other. “He’s rarely acknowledged in mainstream narratives,” Hunter asserts, yet she emphasizes his vital role in understanding the complexities of the era.

Through the AGO’s exhibition, there lies hope for a revitalized appreciation of Tissot’s artistry—of the intricate historical narratives captured within his works. Observers in Tissot’s own time acknowledged his aptitude for encapsulating the zeitgeist, presenting his paintings as a lens through which future generations might glean insights into their historical moment. Indeed, as postulated by one critic, “[If] our industrial and artistic creations may perish…a painting by Mr. Tissot will be enough for archaeologists of the future to reconstruct our era.”

“Tissot, Women and Time” is on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto through June 29, 2025.

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