Le Conseiller des Dames et des Demoiselles, août 1860 : Journal d'économi (...) 1860

Louis Berlier created this print, “Le Conseiller des Dames et des Demoiselles,” in August 1860, as an illustration for a journal focused on domestic economy and needlework. The image captures a seemingly tranquil scene of women and girl in fashionable dress, enjoying leisure time in a garden. But let’s consider what this image tells us about the construction of femininity and class in mid-19th century France. The elaborate dresses, with their emphasis on ornamentation, speak to the era’s focus on women as emblems of domestic refinement. The presence of the young girl, perhaps enjoying the innocent delights of childhood, also signals an investment in cultivating a particular vision of feminine virtue. Simultaneously, the image can be interpreted as a reflection of the era’s growing consumer culture, where fashion magazines played a role in shaping desires. However, this idealized image obscures the labor and resources required to maintain such a vision. The print invites us to reflect on the complex ways that gender, class, and consumerism were intertwined in 19th-century society.