Ce que vaut une femme : les douze heures du jour et de la nuit

The origin of this project is the discovery of a book, in the attic of the family house, entitled Ce que vaut une femme : traité d’éducation morale et pratique des jeunes filles [What a woman is worth: a treatise on the moral and practical education of young girls], published in 1893 with the support of the Ministry of Public Education. Its content appeared to us both edifying and comic.

The tone is set in the introduction by its author, Éline Roch, winner of the Doyen-Doublié Prize (in 1893): “What would happen to our country the day when women were diverted from their natural destination, when young girls could assume that there was something else for them than the noble and holy mission of being wives and mothers?”.

To accompany the re-edition of the book, The Eyes wanted a woman’s perspective to bring her sensitivity and emotions to this work from another time. They have chosen to give carte blanche to the duo of female artists Elsa & Johanna who present an original series and a singular and offbeat response to the book.