Dates:
Location:
Becker Gallery
Features representations of women from early modern Europe, who are shown as modeling or resisting the prevalent codes of behavior regarding sex, pregnancy, marriage, and piety.
Selected Works
“St. Mary Magdalene,” ca. 1510, tempera on panel, Pseudo Granacci, Italian, ca. 1490-1525. Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1961.100.6
"Strolling Actresses in a Barn," engraving, by William Hogarth, British, 1697–1764.
About
How She Should Behave features representations of women from early modern Europe, who are shown as modeling or resisting the prevalent codes of behavior regarding sex, pregnancy, marriage, and piety. This exhibition takes its inspiration from conduct manuals and royal decrees written during the Counter Reformation, which aimed at instilling proper behavior and clear moral values, especially with regard to such profane topics such as sex, illness, and crime. Moralists also proffered advice to women on proper conduct and self-regulation relying heavily on Biblical interpretation. These iconic representations of women’s roles are shown alongside more contemporary depictions of women, inviting contemplation about the ways in which such representations may have persisted or shifted over time. The exhibition was organized by Assistant Professor of Romance Languages Margaret Boyle and Bowdoin students in her Spring 2013 course, “Bad Girls on Stage in Early Modern Spain and Spanish America.”