Sketches of Bodices with Bows and a Bouffant Skirt 1785 - 1790

Curator: I’m immediately drawn to the delicate nature of this sketch. It’s almost ephemeral. Editor: Agreed. What we're looking at is a page of "Sketches of Bodices with Bows and a Bouffant Skirt," created anonymously sometime between 1785 and 1790. It’s currently housed here at The Met. Curator: Those bows! The bows really grab my attention. For me, they symbolize a kind of performative femininity—a societal constraint perhaps literally tied around the waist. What's your impression of this era's fashion statements? Editor: They speak to status and aspiration, wouldn’t you agree? The cut of the bodice, the exaggerated skirt… These shapes project both power and wealth, carefully controlled by social convention. It reminds me of the strictures around gender and class within that historical context. How the control was so clearly demarcated by costume. Curator: Precisely. Think of the symbolism associated with the skirt and waist: a wide skirt signifying wealth, but confined—a life curated for spectacle more than agency. And the use of ornament in the dress designs as symbols of wealth, layered with implicit power structures for controlling how one displays oneself within that echelon of social mobility. What symbols in this composition stand out for you? Editor: Well, the bow itself. Throughout art history, bows represent agreements, promises, or even unions, but here, tied to clothing, they bind the wearer, becoming both decoration and shackle. The suggestion of movement within the sketchy lines gives it a sense of vitality, however confined it may be. The use of lighter and darker lines shows movement—fleeting beauty and social positioning intertwined. It captures an intriguing tension. Curator: It definitely pushes me to reflect on how constraints can simultaneously define and restrict us. In our contemporary political landscape, such fashion still exists in myriad, if sometimes subtle, forms. The social dynamics of what one wears continue to dictate visibility and influence. Editor: It gives pause to consider those echoes across time, doesn’t it? Clothing and how we view ourselves… These sketches speak to lasting human complexities. Curator: Agreed. Thanks for drawing out some new ideas about the social meanings behind this drawing.