Galleries des Modes bbb 291 1775 - 1780

This print, Galleries des Modes bbb 291, was made by Nicolas Dupin in the late 18th century. It’s an etching, meaning that the design was incised into a metal plate, probably copper, and printed in ink onto paper. The process allowed for fine lines and details, which are then brought to life with watercolor. The image depicts an elegant woman in fashionable attire. It's worth thinking about the immense labor involved in producing textiles at this time. Every thread had to be spun and woven by hand or with rudimentary machines, a process that dominated the lives of many working-class people. The clothing worn by the elite signaled their distance from this laborious world. It is also worth looking at the books she leans on: perhaps these speak to the ways in which women were often propped up by the patriarchy. Dupin's print makes us consider the full material and social world embedded in this image, challenging any simplistic view of fashion as mere surface.