Now that you mention it, yes. Manet's "Olympia" and Goya's "Maja" (Clothed or Nude, take your pick).

I was thinking the same thing. The reclining woman is a favorite subject in art. Sometimes the woman is nude and sometimes not. Sometimes the woman depicted is a prostitute and sometimes not. There is a Manet painting, Girl in a Spanish Riding Costume, that shows a fainting couch that looks an awful lot like Betty's. I also thought about about Ingres' paintings of the Odalisques, which are nudes shown on couches. Betty is way too thin to be a model for any of these artists (these women were far more voluptuous than Betty) but as an anthropology major, Betty perhaps studied some art history along the way and was familiar with these works and wanted to recreate them in some way.

The other thing that the fainting couch remided me of was Dr. Wayne's couch in Season 1. Only this time, instead of being sent to a duplicitous psychiatrist by her equally duplicitous husband, Betty chose her own couch, based on the recommendation of a potential lover, and used Don's money to pay for it. Sweet revenge.

Helen! Wonderful point about Betty's first season on the couch. She seems to symbolize a lot of women who ended up on couches--either psychiatric, artistic or fainting, alll because men thought them delicate, and perhaps that the way they wanted to be seen as well.

This whole episode certainly was a showcase for January Jones' beauty. The costumes she wore, the way her hair was done--upright or prone, she was a work of art.

Fascinating idea, Greg! I don't know about Renaissance-ish specifically but I did notice she seemed posed and the lighting was different, etc. It does look like Betty was posing for an imaginary portrait.

I've been trying to think of the right word to describe it-- I think it may be "odalisque"? A sensual, reclining woman on a chaise or sofa, just like the superb classic examples Mambo Deb listed.

Betty has always sought attention. Nothing new here.

I think the fainting couch will be Betty's own little sanctuary from life. Like a bubble bath where you don't need to run water. The kids will learn very fast not to touch the couch at any time. In some psychological way it will become a source of power for her and if some ever happens it, it will cause a major rift in the family.

Gene to Betty--
"I shielded you, that's probably why you married that joker. If you'd even known what was possible!" Well, maybe she's taking that to heart now, with the pregnancy over?

We notice Betty is all posed and ready when Don comes home, but he doesn't notice because of his contract issues. What on earth was she thinking? He's been out all night, looks like he got in a brawl, and she's all decked out in a party frock on the most ostentatiously vain piece of furniture ever! Pampered Puss is a role Don helped support, but seems to be disgusted with now.

Remember that column in McCall's magazine called "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" I think the Drapers are heading for D-I-V-O-R-C-E. They disagree in almost every scene about something important. Betty seems to have no problem flirting with a divorced man. Her attitude has changed since knowing Helen Bishop and after her own close brush with splitsville last year.

Can Mr. Francis give her what her fantasies require? A nanny, cook and gardener, stables and groom, personal maid to help her maintain her amazing beauty? Doesn't she owe it to her adoring public? After all, it's not adorable to pretend you're not adorable.

You may be right about the divorce. There were more divorces in the sixties than previous decades.