Portret van Louise de Vallière 1829

Tony Johannot created this print of Louise de la Vallière in the nineteenth century. The portrait revives the image of a woman who, two centuries earlier, had been a prominent figure at the court of Louis XIV. We can see how the print constructs meaning through visual cues linked to the social hierarchies of the past. The pearls and the lace on her dress speak of aristocracy, while the bare shoulders hint at the erotic power she wielded as a mistress of the king. Made in France, the print is a relic of the Romantic era’s fascination with the Ancien Régime. In the 1800s, artists and writers looked back to pre-revolutionary France to find inspiration, often through a nostalgic lens. Understanding such historical images requires research into the visual culture of different eras. Contemporary sources, such as fashion plates and etiquette manuals, can help us decode the social meanings embedded within them. With that knowledge, we can understand how artists like Johannot drew on collective memories of the past.