Algememeine Theaterzeitung und originialblat für Kunst, Musik, Mode und Geselliges Leben, 1839, No. 506 : Modebilder zur Theaterzeitung, Aus Paris c. 1839

Andreas Geiger created this print of a fashion plate for the Allgemeine Theaterzeitung in 1839. It offers a glimpse into the world of Viennese high society and its obsession with Parisian fashion. The image presents two women adorned in elaborate dresses with puffed sleeves and frilled hems. These garments signify the wealth and status of the wearers, reflecting the rigid social hierarchy of the time. The Allgemeine Theaterzeitung itself played a role in shaping cultural tastes, informing its readers not only about theater but about the latest trends in fashion and social life. As a historian, I’m interested in how fashion plates like this one contributed to the construction of identity and the enforcement of social norms. By consulting periodicals and other archival sources, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between art, culture, and society in 19th-century Vienna.