Costumes Français / Fransche kleeding 1800 - 1833

Editor: This print, "Costumes Français / Fransche Kleeding," dating from around 1800-1833, by Philippus Jacobus Brepols, is fascinating! It shows numerous small, almost toy-like depictions of French military figures on horseback. What strikes me is the regimented layout. How do you interpret the social function of such a print? Curator: It's crucial to understand that this wasn't merely a decorative piece. Consider the context: France, emerging from revolution, rebuilding its military identity. Prints like this, widely circulated, served a critical role in shaping public perception and projecting power. They provided a visual vocabulary of military roles, hierarchies, and national pride. Editor: So, it's a form of visual propaganda? Curator: It goes beyond simple propaganda. Look at the careful categorization and the detailed rendering of each uniform. It's almost encyclopedic, suggesting an attempt to codify and communicate military structure. These images circulated at a time when national identity and military prowess were tightly intertwined. Who might have been its target audience? Editor: Maybe military men? Or aspiring ones. I suppose it familiarized citizens with the structure. Curator: Exactly! Consider too the dual French and Dutch titles, speaking to the Low Countries context. Prints crossed borders and shaped transnational understandings of power. By representing this, were viewers more easily indoctrinated into the military cause, perhaps? It can offer a shared social script to join the ranks. Editor: I see! The print doesn't just show uniforms, it actively participates in constructing the idea of the French military itself! This puts prints in a new light, as tools of public memory and civic responsibility. Curator: Precisely. And thinking about who consumed them and what effect it had on the public creates even more compelling ideas around national memory.