Elegantia, of tijdschrift van mode, luxe en smaak voor dames, September 1809, No. 87: Redingote de perkale... 1809

Curator: What strikes me immediately about this "Elegantia, of tijdschrift van mode, luxe en smaak voor dames," created anonymously in September of 1809, is the air of quiet simplicity. It's mostly rendered in light washes, save for some precise pen detailing around the edges, giving it an almost dreamlike feel, don't you think? Editor: It does. And for an item intended to be trendy, to highlight “mode, luxe en smaak”, as the title of the magazine tells us, there is this odd flatness. It feels more documentary than promotional, even. Fashion plates usually give a sense of forward motion, selling an aspirational image. But here… Curator: Exactly! It’s as if we’re catching a glimpse of the everyday, even with that chic redingote—that lightweight coat made of percale. There’s a fascinating tension between capturing fashionable society and showing something incredibly grounded and unpretentious. This isn’t just a stylish woman; it’s *a* woman, perhaps a citizen making her way. Editor: Perhaps a citizen shaped by new class anxieties. The French Revolution only recently redefined social and political life across Europe, of course. Luxury items had become associated with the excesses of the ancien regime, the downfall of which was precipitated, in part, by elite mismanagement and public anger over scarcity. Now this image would show that luxury can exist without wastefulness and be made available for those on the come-up. Curator: And the softness of the rendering plays into this subdued atmosphere so beautifully. I think the way the artist, whomever they may be, allows the garment to softly fall rather than rigidly tailoring every line creates this intimacy, no? Like glimpsing a private moment of elegance, rather than being shouted at with luxury. Editor: Precisely. Watercolors would offer a cost-effective alternative for mass distribution. We are invited into her intimate space precisely so that the luxury seems obtainable, not distant, nor politically dangerous. In other words, such an image offers the possibility of participating in a newly constituted and carefully defined civic sphere. Curator: Well, considering our own social moment now, maybe its simplicity is, indeed, the height of elegant disruption! Thanks for allowing me to look at this through the looking glass! Editor: Always a pleasure to reflect!