Evening Walk, from Monument du Costume Physique et Moral de la fin du Dix-huitième siècle 1774

François Robert Ingouf created this print called ‘Evening Walk’ as part of a series documenting the fashions of the late 18th century. But it is so much more than a fashion plate. The figures are posed in a garden setting, suggesting a world of leisure and privilege. But it is the artificiality of the scene that speaks volumes. This was the era of the French Revolution, a time when the excesses of the aristocracy were under intense scrutiny. Note how the artist has framed the figures around a statue, with the title underneath, as though they were specimens in a museum. Prints like these were widely circulated, contributing to a growing sense of awareness and, in some quarters, resentment, of the social disparities of the time. To fully understand Ingouf's print, we can turn to fashion history, social histories of the French Revolution, and studies of the print market. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.