Woman wearing skirt with panniers and sack back

This small earthenware figure of a woman in a large skirt was made in the Thomas Whieldon factory in 18th-century Staffordshire. It depicts a fashionable silhouette of the time. The panniers create a wide, almost architectural base, while the sack back adds a sense of volume and drama. What does it mean to monumentalize the female form in such a way? This earthenware figure encapsulates the complexities of 18th-century womanhood, where fashion dictated physical form, and identity was often performed through dress. In this way it both constrains and empowers the wearer. Fashion has long been a tool to express identity, and this figure, though small, stands as a testament to the artifice and artistry of self-presentation. It reflects the societal pressures and creative possibilities faced by women in the 1700s.