Elegantia, of tijdschrift van mode, luxe en smaak voor dames, Juni 1808, No. 46: Chapeaux et Capotes... 1808

Curator: Here in the Rijksmuseum, we have "Elegantia, of tijdschrift van mode, luxe en smaak voor dames, Juni 1808, No. 46: Chapeaux et Capotes..."—a print dating back to 1808. It’s an etching and engraving on paper from an anonymous artist. Editor: At first glance, they strike me as quite delicate. They possess a certain fragility that mirrors the transient nature of fashion itself. It feels so… prescriptive, dictating tastes. Curator: Indeed. These prints circulated within a developing culture of consumerism. Elegantia functioned almost as a proto-fashion blog, shaping the visual literacy of its readership, solidifying emerging bourgeois norms, and circulating specific aesthetic values of the Neoclassical period. Editor: Neoclassical aesthetics were frequently entangled with empire building, the era of Napoleon’s aspirations! It is all in the tiny details of everyday life that such movements were so widely circulated. Curator: Exactly! What seems decorative served a more profound ideological function. These hats weren’t just hats; they were embodiments of aspiration and indicators of social positioning during a tumultuous socio-political era. Editor: They also give some interesting ideas of contemporary beauty standards of what it meant to be fashionable and refined and by extension what it meant to be a desirable woman. Curator: Quite so! Considering the materials – etching, engraving on paper – lends itself to mass production and circulation. These images penetrated into numerous homes and shaped everyday fashion. Editor: And perhaps, a hint of rebellion could come through subtly altering an accessory in ways which offered a break from the total dominance that images of fashionable taste had! But one wonders the degree to which such agency could have been felt. Curator: I appreciate your bringing that consideration to this piece! Understanding its historical setting and social role helps unlock the print’s richer implications beyond mere adornment. Editor: Agreed! It is a stark reminder that even something as seemingly lighthearted as a fashion plate is intricately interwoven with its time. And what is produced for elite women is always at the expense of workers whose labor sustains luxury lifestyles.