Petit Courrier des Dames, 1829 nr. 688 1829

This fashion plate, titled "Petit Courrier des Dames", was made in 1829 in Paris. It's an engraving, a printmaking process where an image is cut into a metal plate, inked, and then pressed onto paper. The materials of the clothing depicted – silk, velvet, and plush – speak to a culture of consumption, with the rise of department stores catering to an emerging middle class who aspired to the fashions of the elite. Consider the labor involved: the growing of silk worms and the harvesting of their cocoons, the weaving of fabric, and the skilled handwork required to tailor these elaborate garments. Even the printing process itself involved many hands, from the engraver to the press operator. Fashion plates like this one played a key role in disseminating style trends, feeding a cycle of desire and production. By focusing on the material reality of fashion, we can recognize the complex web of labor, commerce, and artistic skill that underpinned its creation.