Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costumes Parisiens, 5 avril 1835, (3261): Chapeau en velours (...) 1835

Jean-Denis Nargeot made this print, using engraving and stipple techniques, for the Journal des Dames et des Modes in Paris in 1835. It depicts two women modeling the latest fashions. This journal, aimed at upper-class women, highlights the era's obsession with appearance and social status. The elaborate dresses, with their puffed sleeves and delicate lace, signify wealth and leisure. The Journal itself, as a publication, played a key role in shaping and disseminating these ideals, reinforcing the norms of feminine elegance and aristocratic culture. France in the 1830s was a society still deeply marked by class divisions, even after the Revolution. Fashion became a visible marker of social standing, and publications like the Journal des Dames et des Modes both reflected and perpetuated these hierarchies. To truly understand this image, one might turn to archives of fashion history, studies of French social structures, and analyses of early fashion magazines. The meaning of this image lies in its historical context.