La Femme de ménage (The Cleaning Lady)

Feathers were associated with the evening dress that high-society women wore to fancy balls and theater outings. Balzac condemned the wearing of feathers, however, as too flashy for all but the most sophisticated aristocratic ladies to pull off tastefully. One has to wonder whether the cleaning woman pictured here is a lorette vieillie, or aspiring courtesan grown old.<
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> —Dire que j’ai eu des plumes de dessus ma tête et qu’à présent j’ai un plumeau sous le bras !...<
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> —And to think that I once had feathers in my hair, and now I have a feather duster in my hand!...<
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