Girl with an Ostrich Feather Headdress 1784

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made this engraving of a woman with an ostrich feather headdress at an unknown date. Looking at this image, we might consider the social rituals around fashion in 18th-century Europe. With its extravagant headdress, elaborate dress, and open, welcoming posture, the figure embodies the aristocratic taste of the period. The image is contained within a border, which creates a sense of the scene as staged and artificial, even theatrical. Chodowiecki was a significant figure in the Berlin Academy of Arts, which promoted specific artistic styles. Was Chodowiecki commenting on the social structures of his time? Perhaps this print subtly critiques the artificiality and excessive consumerism of the elite. To fully understand this image, we might explore sources like fashion plates, social etiquette manuals, and the records of institutions. We can then begin to understand the social and institutional forces in which art is made and how it engages with existing social norms.