The Buck's Progress II: A Beau in his Dressing Room 1796

Editor: This is Washington Allston’s "The Buck's Progress II: A Beau in his Dressing Room." It's a chaotic scene, and quite satirical, but what strikes me is the depiction of labor - so many people involved in dressing one man. What do you make of it? Curator: It's fascinating to view through a materialist lens. Note the consumption of goods and services: clothing, grooming, even alcohol. Allston highlights the economic disparity of the time. How does the production of these goods, and this level of personal service, implicate the social context? Editor: So, it's less about the individual and more about the system that supports him? I see it now, a commentary on the societal structure revealed through this dressing room drama. Curator: Precisely. It pushes us to think about the means of production and the power dynamics inherent in them.