Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien, 1805, An 13 (641) Chapeau Paré... 1805

This is an etching by Horace Vernet from 1805, titled ‘Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien’. The image is dominated by the figure of a woman, her dress described with a striking verticality. Note how Vernet uses line and colour to define social status through fashion. The dress, rendered in white, is decorated with sparse floral embroidery, suggesting a controlled and cultivated elegance. The brown shawl offers a counterpoint, its drape creating diagonal lines that disrupt the rigidity of the dress. The structure and form of the clothing serve as signifiers, encoding societal values and hierarchies. Through careful attention to detail, Vernet's work shows a semiotic system where clothing is a language, communicating identity and position. The journal itself aimed to shape and reflect the tastes of its readership, reinforcing the idea that fashion could both express and impose cultural norms. The etching, therefore, functions not merely as a record of dress, but as a commentary on the cultural codes of its time.