FÉLIX VALLOTTON, LA BIBLIOTHÈQUE (1921)

Apart from bibles and prayer books, some of the earliest books to appear in paintings were there to confer the idea of status and knowledge. Over time, however, books crept into scenes of domesticity and the everyday. The many yellow spines shown in Félix Vallotton’s painting suggest they are from the French publisher Gervais Charpentier. His compact publishing format, introduced in the 19th century, reduced the cost of books and put the accumulation of an extensive library within reach of the middle classes. © Musée départemental du Prieuré, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and Thames & Hudson