Empowered, erudite, and perhaps a little smug—this is what 20th century French artists thought women would look like in the future.
BoingBoing recently highlighted a set of postcards designed by an artist named Albert Bergeret in France in 1902. Although some of the images may have been received as risqué at the time, Bergeret had a indisputably progressive vision for his time. The cards depict women in a number of roles once reserved for men, including politician, fire fighter, and jockey.
The cards come from the collection of Monique and Gerard Lequy, who run a website dedicated to Bergeret’s work. The pair live in the town of Nancy, France, where Bergeret created much of his work. “My husband and I wanted to find out how he proceeded, [what] he has produced, the importance of his production and thought that our research could be useful to collectors,” Monique tells Quartz.
Below, a selection from Bergeret’s Les Femmes de l’Avenir (Women of the Future):
