Journal des Demoiselles, Août 1867, 35e année, No. 8 1867

This print, made by Paul Lacourière in France in 1867, comes from the Journal des Demoiselles, a popular fashion magazine aimed at upper-class women. It offers us a glimpse into the visual culture and social ideals of the Second Empire. The image presents two women in contrasting attire. One is in a riding habit atop a pale horse, evoking aristocratic leisure. The other, in an elaborate white dress, stands demurely by a doorway. These carefully constructed images reinforced the importance of appearance and adherence to social norms for women in this period. Consider the magazine's role in shaping those norms. By presenting idealized images of femininity, publications like the Journal des Demoiselles contributed to the construction of a visual code that reinforced class distinctions and gender roles. To understand this print more fully, historians might consult primary sources like the magazine itself, along with conduct manuals, fashion plates, and other documents that shed light on the social and cultural expectations of women in 19th-century France.