Gallery of Fashion, vol. I: April 1, 1794- March 1, 1795 1794 - 1802

This fashion plate was produced by Nicolaus Heideloff in England between 1794 and 1795. Two women are depicted wearing neoclassical dresses, adorned with ribbons and plumes. Consider the plumes, symbols of lightness, flight, and ostentation. In ancient Egypt, plumes were associated with Ma'at, the embodiment of truth and cosmic order. Here, perched atop the heads of these fashionable ladies, the plumes speak to a different kind of truth – one of status and aspiration. Yet, the echo of Ma'at lingers faintly, a reminder of the enduring human quest for balance and harmony, even amidst the vagaries of fashion. The delicate rendering of these women, poised between tradition and nascent modernity, evokes a sense of fleeting beauty. Like butterflies pinned to a board, they represent a moment in time, preserved for our contemplation.