Petit Courrier des Dames, 1828, No. 544 : Bonnet de crèpe orné de fleurs... 1828

This is a fashion plate titled "Petit Courrier des Dames," made in 1828, somewhere in France. Printed on a page of a book, the anonymous artist used engraving to depict two women modeling the latest styles. Fashion plates like this one played a crucial role in shaping and disseminating ideas about taste and social status in the 19th century. They weren't just about clothes; they were about communicating the values of refinement and gentility. Consider the location printed on the page, ‘Boulevard des Italiens, near the passage de l’Opera.’ The dress and bonnet are associated with a specific kind of modern, urban space and with its attendant culture of display. The world of fashion was tied to the theater, to the spectacle of modern life in Paris. To understand this image fully, we would need to delve into the history of fashion publishing, the textile industry, and the social rituals of the Parisian elite. Only then can we truly appreciate the complex cultural work performed by a seemingly simple fashion plate.