Weldon's Ladies'Journal, november 1894, No. 92 1894

This is a page from Weldon’s Ladies’ Journal for November 1894, printed in Nuremberg and published in London. It presents the latest winter fashions to its readers. The magazine itself is an institution, one of many that arose in the late 19th century to cater to a growing class of women with money to spend and time to fill. The image creates meaning through the display of carefully posed figures modelling the latest styles. Consider the cultural references here, to class, gender and consumerism. How do these garments reinforce or subvert traditional roles for women? Was the progressive woman becoming a consumer? To understand this image better, we need to research the history of fashion magazines and the social changes that shaped the lives of women in the late 19th century. The Weldon archive might tell us something about the readership it hoped to attract and the social function the magazine was intended to fill. Through such sources, the historian can place this piece in its proper social and institutional context.