Petit Courrier des Dames, 25 avril 1828, No. 550 : Modes de Longchamps... 1828

This fashion plate, titled "Petit Courrier des Dames," was printed in Paris in 1828. It depicts stylish men's garments through line engraving, a technique of incising an image into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing it onto paper. The crisp lines and delicate shading speak to the engraver's skill, yet this wasn't considered "high art." Fashion plates like this were vital to the burgeoning textile industry. They were a form of advertising, showcasing the latest trends to potential consumers. The detailed rendering of fabrics, buttons, and tailoring highlights the quality and craftsmanship that could be achieved – for a price. Consider the labor involved: from the textile workers producing the cloth, to the tailors meticulously cutting and sewing, to the printmakers disseminating the images. This plate is not just a depiction of fashion, but a snapshot of a complex network of production and consumption, revealing the social and economic forces that shaped early 19th-century Parisian society. It reminds us that even seemingly ephemeral images can tell us much about the world of making.