1896, Antonio Rizzi, Study in White -- Phoenix Art Museum
From the museum label:
In the late 19th century following the end of the Civil War in the United States, neurologists believed that neurasthenia, or the mental exhaustion of the nerves caused by overwork and industrialization, was affecting the men and women belonging to the upper and middle classes. In the beginning, neurasthenia predominantly was diagnosed in well-educated men who were experiencing an abundance of nervous energy brought on by modernity and new professional challenges. Women, on the other hand, were diagnosed with neurasthenia after socializing too much and spending time outside of the home too often. One treatment for women with this condition was the "rest cure," which required a patient to stay on bed rest, forbidden from pursuing any activities, even sewing, reading, writing, or receiving visitors. This "cure" became a form of social control, rejecting the contemporary notion of an independent, educated "new woman."
Painted and photographic representations of women in lassitude became more frequent as shifting perceptions of neurasthenia became one of a condition largely afflicting women. Rizzi's Study in White, seen here, shows common visual cues of the condition and the rest cure. In this personal and private scene, the woman is leaning back onto a sofa, and her eyes are looking down. She appears sickly and unable to hold herself up as the surrounding materials and fabrics absorb her body, emphasizing her perceived weakness and passivity as she lies down and rests.
1896, Antonio Rizzi, Study in White -- Phoenix Art Museum
From the museum label:
In the late 19th century following the end of the Civil War in the United States, neurologists believed that neurasthenia, or the mental exhaustion of the nerves caused by overwork and industrialization, was affecting the men and women belonging to the upper and middle classes. In the beginning, neurasthenia predominantly was diagnosed in well-educated men who were experiencing an abundance of nervous energy brought on by modernity and new professional challenges. Women, on the other hand, were diagnosed with neurasthenia after socializing too much and spending time outside of the home too often. One treatment for women with this condition was the "rest cure," which required a patient to stay on bed rest, forbidden from pursuing any activities, even sewing, reading, writing, or receiving visitors. This "cure" became a form of social control, rejecting the contemporary notion of an independent, educated "new woman."
Painted and photographic representations of women in lassitude became more frequent as shifting perceptions of neurasthenia became one of a condition largely afflicting women. Rizzi's Study in White, seen here, shows common visual cues of the condition and the rest cure. In this personal and private scene, the woman is leaning back onto a sofa, and her eyes are looking down. She appears sickly and unable to hold herself up as the surrounding materials and fabrics absorb her body, emphasizing her perceived weakness and passivity as she lies down and rests.