Achterzijde van een uitknippop in onderjurk c. 1865 - 1870

This paper doll, created anonymously, presents us with more than just fashion; it offers a glimpse into the cultural aspirations of a time. The doll is dressed in an under-dress, the silhouette of which speaks volumes. Note the emphasis on the hips and the waist – a shape echoing the Venus figurines of ancient times, symbols of fertility and abundance. This ideal, reshaped by corsetry, resurfaces here, revealing an enduring subconscious desire linked to femininity. The label "Corset Sultane" hints at the exoticism projected onto the "Orient," a recurring theme in Western art. It brings to mind Delacroix's "Women of Algiers," where the harem is depicted as a space of languid sensuality. This fashion doll reminds us that these symbols are not static. The Venus becomes the Gibson Girl, then the pin-up, each reflecting a shifting cultural landscape, but all drawing from the same wellspring of collective memory.