Uniformen van Pruisische officieren 1795 - 1796

This is a watercolor painting by S.G. Casten, depicting Prussian officers' uniforms. The artist has used thin washes of color to define the different fabrics and textures. Note how the pigment pools and bleeds at the edges of the forms, giving a sense of depth and volume to the clothing. The linear details, like the buttons and trim, were likely added with a fine brush or pen. While the materials here are traditional, the subject matter suggests a connection to burgeoning industrial production. Consider the scale of clothing manufacture in the Prussian army, and the intense labor required to produce and maintain these uniforms. Each officer’s attire signifies hierarchy, and the painting itself acts as a kind of documentation, part of a larger system of visual control and standardization. By focusing on the materiality and making of this image, we can appreciate how craft practices intersect with broader social and political systems.