Magasin des Demoiselles, 25 mai 1849 1849

Curator: This watercolour illustration, dating to 1849, is titled “Magasin des Demoiselles, 25 mai 1849,” attributed to J. Desjardins. Immediately, I am drawn to the visual vocabulary of Romanticism that evokes 19th-century ideals of beauty and virtue, very common at the time. Editor: Oh, it's confectionary! All ruffles and bonnets. Like a sugared almond dipped in melancholy. Curator: The figures – three young women of differing ages – certainly embody those societal aspirations, especially when we view their sartorial elegance as emblems of status and taste. Can you tell me what visual symbolism stands out to you? Editor: The dress of the standing woman reads as something like ‘modest prosperity,’ or aspirational upper-middle class. The plaid of the seated woman, more relaxed but equally considered, suggests intellectual leanings. The child is like untamed innocence about to be gentrified by the very fashionable, stifling… Curator: While fashion may signify social status, the inclusion of flowers could symbolize notions of ephemeral beauty and mortality, motifs ubiquitous in Romantic-era art and indicative of transient life, given their rapid wilting. The magazine itself, I think, is designed to trigger aspirational desires. Editor: Absolutely. And the melancholy cast that I noticed speaks volumes about how social structures constrained women. Flowers wilt, and youth fades; those women will likely grow to exist with restricted social freedom within patriarchal rules. Curator: It speaks volumes, also, about beauty ideals. This, after all, appears in an early fashion publication – a 'shop of young ladies' as the title suggests. A place for young women not only to seek advice, but to consume… which is what renders them static… Editor: Yes, frozen within these constructed ideals. Although perhaps they’re happily subversive, giggling in their elaborate bonnets, planning daring escapades from these prescriptive visual cages! Curator: A delightful thought. In sum, “Magasin des Demoiselles” operates as a poignant snapshot of societal constructs during this particular moment. Editor: Right! At the very least it does seem, like a well-executed sketch for an adaptation about the gilded age for kids.