Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien, 1805, An 13 (632) Robe et Manteau de Cour 1805

Horace Vernet made this print, Robe et Manteau de Cour, around 1805 as part of the Journal des Dames et des Modes, using etching and engraving. It depicts a fashionable courtly gown. What makes this image so compelling is the contrast between the graphic techniques used to produce it, and the social context that it represents. On the one hand, there's the relatively new technology of mass-produced images; on the other, there's the highly refined aristocratic culture of the French court. The artist has captured the textures and details of the gown. Note the delicate frills around the neck, and the meticulous rendering of the fabric's folds. But this image also reveals the labor and materials required to produce the object, even if they are not explicitly represented. The gown, made of fine fabrics, demanded the work of skilled weavers, seamstresses, and embroiderers. The print serves not only as a fashion plate, but as a reminder of the social and economic systems that supported the aristocracy.