Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, nr...., kopie naar G.37: Femme en Robe à la Polonnois (...) 1785

This print, made anonymously in France, depicts a woman in fashionable dress. As a design for ‘Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français’, it would have been rendered using etching and engraving, then delicately hand-coloured. The materiality of her dress speaks volumes. Fashionable women of the era wore silk taffeta, often striped, with gauze trim; these fabrics required skilled weavers and textile workers. Consider the labour involved in producing such a garment. The dress is ‘à la Polonaise’, a style popular at the time, characterized by its draped and gathered-up skirt. This design allowed for ease of movement, which was essential for upper-class women engaged in leisure activities. The print not only showcases fashionable attire, but also hints at the social context of its creation. It reflects the consumer culture of 18th-century France, where fashion was a status symbol and a marker of identity. By understanding the materials, making, and social context of this print, we gain insight into the world of fashion and society in the 1770s.