A. Calderoni Gioielliere 1898

This is Adolfo Hohenstein's poster for A. Calderoni Gioielliere. The poster comes to us from the late 19th century when the rise of industrialization was reshaping society, and with it the dynamics of gender and class. The poster features a woman, adorned in finery, gazing intently at a piece of jewelry. Hohenstein places her in the foreground, in a position that suggests she is both the beholder and the embodiment of beauty and luxury. In the background you can see the jewelry store. The poster operates within a society where consumer culture and marketing are beginning to shape aspirations and identities. It speaks to the idea of jewelry as a means of expressing individual identity, which is reflective of the era's evolving societal norms. In this artwork, the emotional connection to the jewelry is carefully constructed to perpetuate societal norms.