Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1785, No. 9, No. 18, Kopie naar N 74 : Robe a la Versaillois (...) c. 1785

Pierre Gleich created this print, *Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1785*, offering us a glimpse into the sartorial tastes of the French elite on the eve of revolution. The print depicts a woman adorned in a grand *Robe a la Versaillois*, complete with elaborate trimmings and an impossibly high coiffure topped with a parasol. These fashions, popularized by Queen Marie Antoinette, were potent symbols of aristocratic excess and detachment from the realities faced by the majority of the French population. Consider the social implications of such extravagant display at a time when poverty and hunger were widespread. The woman carries a sword. Does this symbolize empowerment, or does it heighten the sense of aristocratic privilege and the looming tensions of a society on the brink of upheaval? It serves as a reminder that even the most beautiful and seemingly innocuous images can be deeply intertwined with issues of power, privilege, and social justice.