Petit Courrier des Dames, 1827, No. 40 / 482: 1. Chapeau de gros de Naples... 1827

This is a page from Petit Courrier des Dames, a Parisian fashion magazine from 1827, printed using engraving and hand-applied color. The image shows six different hat designs, each numbered and described below. Magazines like this one played a crucial role in shaping fashion trends and disseminating them among the upper classes. In this period, Paris was the undisputed center of the fashion world, and magazines such as this helped maintain this position. The designs reflect the broader social and economic context of post-revolutionary France, in which fashion became both an indicator of social status and an industry in its own right. It is also interesting to note the reference to specific boutiques and addresses in Paris, which points to the close relationship between the magazine and the fashion industry. Understanding these historical and institutional contexts is essential for interpreting such an image, and one would want to research fashion history and the history of print culture to fully understand it.