Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien, 15 août 1815, (1501): Costume d'une jeune personne. 1815

Pierre Charles Baquoy created this print, titled "Costume d'une jeune personne," for the Journal des Dames et des Modes in Paris, 1815. The journal emerged during a period of significant social upheaval, reflecting the shifting roles of women in post-revolutionary French society. This image presents a young woman adorned in the Empire style which visually communicated ideas of femininity, domesticity, and social status. The delicate fabrics and refined silhouette speak to the emphasis placed on elegance. Yet, the seemingly innocuous fashion plate also serves as a marker of class distinction, dictating the visual codes that separated elite women from the rest. Consider how such images not only reflected but also enforced the societal norms of the time, shaping perceptions of femininity and dictating the boundaries of social acceptability. Fashionable women became both objects and agents in a rapidly changing world.