Petit Courrier des Dames, 10 mai 1849, No. 2433 : Chapeau et Coiffur (...) 1849

Editor: This print, "Petit Courrier des Dames, 10 mai 1849, No. 2433 : Chapeau et Coiffur (...)" created in 1849 by Jean-Charles-Michel Barreau, seems like a glimpse into Parisian fashion. I'm immediately struck by the elaborate dresses, almost overwhelmingly ornate. How do you interpret this work within its historical context? Curator: Well, beyond just being a pretty picture of dresses, consider this image as a product and reflection of its time. Fashion prints like these played a crucial role in disseminating style trends. "Petit Courrier des Dames" served as a kind of proto-fashion blog, shaping tastes and desires, particularly within the rising bourgeoisie. It suggests who held the power in the 1840s. What message about women might the imagery contain? Editor: I suppose these images promoted a specific, perhaps idealized, role for women? That of being fashionable and ornamental? The dresses do look restrictive. Curator: Precisely. These prints helped construct and reinforce the visual culture surrounding femininity. The poses, the setting, the emphasis on luxurious fabrics; it all contributes to a very specific, and limited, idea of women in the public imagination. These were essentially advertisements dictating trends in fabric, millinery and dressmaking which shaped trade and socio-economic activity in Paris at that time. Do you see any challenges for museums today that come to mind from this? Editor: Hmm, yes. We need to be mindful of the implicit biases within our collections, and how they’ve historically shaped perspectives and norms. Curator: Absolutely. And by critically examining pieces like this fashion plate, we can spark important conversations about gender, class, and the power of imagery in shaping society. Editor: That makes so much sense. I had focused solely on the aesthetic and now understand it to be embedded within networks of communication and social control. Curator: Exactly, and it all works through what we deem to be the politics of imagery.