Abstract

The aim of this essay is to reconstruct the genetic link between the concepts of limit and care and the images of the conquest of nature, with reference to Gustave de Beaumont and, to a lesser extent, to Tocqueville, whose perspective is recalled in order to highlight Beaumont’s specificity. Through an examination of his paintings of Marie and Onéda, two examples of femininity that take care of husbands and children, the issue shows that Beaumont recognizes in pure femininity the capacity to counter the limitless desires of the American people with a morality of measure, untainted by the logic of money or polygamy.