Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1785, nr. 15, nr. 30, Kopie naar H 44 : Jeune Dame en Circassienne garnie de blond (...) c. 1785

Curator: This print, created around 1785, comes from the series "Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français." It depicts a young woman dressed in the height of late 18th-century fashion. Editor: Wow, what strikes me immediately is that extraordinary height. It’s like this entire outfit is fighting against gravity! So over-the-top. Curator: Indeed! The Rococo period, particularly in France, embraced elaborate ornamentation and aristocratic excess. Her dress and hairstyle signify not just status but a constructed ideal of femininity and privilege. Consider also France's social climate at this time and how women navigated their societal roles and personal expression within highly defined codes of display. Editor: I imagine trying to walk through a doorway in that getup... I mean, the feathers alone look heavier than my cat. It's almost comical, this exaggeration, like she’s carrying a whole theatrical production on her head. What a statement. And yet, somehow, with a puppy at her feet? Very Marie Antoinette does dog walking. Curator: Precisely. There's tension between ostentation and the everyday, perhaps unconsciously reflecting a deeper societal unease. Notice too how the print focuses primarily on outward presentation, and emphasizes surface and embellishment—dress as spectacle. And let’s not overlook this choice of engraving technique to produce and disseminate this information through reproducible media. Editor: Okay, professor! You got me thinking now… Maybe the dog’s a sly wink. A grounding element that quietly subverts the sheer ridiculousness. Like, "Yeah, I'm fabulous, but I also need to pee." It is subversive. Is this like 1780s camp? Curator: (chuckles) An interesting read on it, definitely. Editor: I’ll take it. All right. That image just told me so much. Time for a smoke and to re-think my place in fashion history, wow. Curator: Likewise. This deep dive certainly recontextualizes a seemingly simple piece for me as well, revealing how clothing is intertwined with the times.