La Toilette des Enfants, ca. 1885, No. 1088 : Foulards de la Compagni (...) c. 1885

Paul Lacourière created this print around 1885 to advertise the children's scarves of the Compagnie. The late 19th century in France was a period defined by strict social codes and burgeoning industrialization, all keenly felt in fashion. The print meticulously details the garments of young boys positioned across class lines. We see the sartorial markers of their identities, from the leisure class to those in service. Yet, the clothing normalizes a version of masculinity which constrains them into prescribed gender roles. Consider how clothing functions not just as protection or adornment, but as a symbol of power, class, and cultural values. These children, styled to reflect societal expectations, were encased in garments that signaled their place within a rigid social hierarchy. Lacourière’s work is a poignant reflection on the ways societal structures shape individual identity from a very young age.