Elegantia, of tijdschrift van mode, luxe en smaak voor dames, Augustus 1808, No. 53: Beguin á plis gauffrés... 1808

This fashion plate, made in 1808 for the magazine Elegantia, is a product of both the printing press and the textile workshop. Look closely, and you'll notice the details. The image is not just printed; it's hand-colored. This would have been painstaking work, likely done by women, who often performed these meticulous, repetitive tasks in the print industry. The depicted dress would also involve hours of labour, from spinning the cotton or linen, to weaving the fabric, to the cutting and sewing. The lace trim especially speaks to refined handwork. The plate gives us a glimpse into the world of early 19th-century fashion, but also into the economies of skill and labor that sustained it. Both the creation of this image, and the creation of the clothes it depicts, would have been reliant on skilled, underpaid workers. So next time you flip through a magazine, remember the hands that made it possible.