Être dessinateur ou dessinatrice à la Society of Arts de Londres au xviiie siècle : quels apprentissages ?

Abstract

The archives of the Society of Arts in London point out the gender mixity of the practice of technical drawing of decorative ornaments during the seconf half of 18 th century. Young girls and boys enter the competitions organized by the institution and win prices for their production. Drawing is often not yet mastered and the sketches available at the Society of Arts are the witnesses of the learning process of a technique. The drawing manuals published during the period give a quick overview of the pedagogical ways used for teach how to draw. The feminine and masculine practice of drawing and their teachings are differentiated and reveal unalike artistic and technical goals. However, some of the templates are used by boys as girls and copying them is the way for young artists to practise the technical gesture while being inspired by fashionable patterns.