Le Moniteur de la Mode, 1888, Nr. 2450e, No. 21 : Soieries et Hautes Nouveautés (...) 1888

This fashion plate by Edouard Tailland was made in 1888, and published in "Le Moniteur de la Mode," using engraving and hand-colouring. These were luxury techniques in their day. The image shows silk dresses and haute nouveautés in the context of a family picnic. Notice the textural contrasts - the flowing skirts, the crisp hats, the woven picnic basket. Each detail rendered by the printmaker’s hand. The clothes are obviously the product of considerable labor; consider the skilled traditions engaged here, from weaving to tailoring to millinery. Prints like this fed a growing fashion industry, driven by industrial capitalism and globalized trade. They also promoted class aspirations, inviting the rising bourgeoisie to imagine themselves in fine silk. By dwelling on the processes that brought these fashions into being, we can reflect on wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption.