Incroyables et Merveilleuses, 1814, Merveilleuse, No. 20: Toque de Velours (...) 1814

Georges Jacques Gatine made this print in 1814, using etching and engraving. The graphic arts are not usually discussed in terms of their materiality, but that would be a mistake. Think of the copper plate from which this image was printed. The artist would have employed fine tools to incise lines into the metal, with the varying depth and thickness creating areas to hold more or less ink. These subtle tonal variations are readily apparent here, especially in the rendering of the fur trim. But this wasn’t a solitary act of artisanship; it was part of an industrial process. Printmaking was one of the first truly capitalist art forms. The very idea was to create images in multiples for mass consumption. And consider the subject here – an absurdly fashionable woman, or "Merveilleuse," swathed in expensive fabrics. This print wasn’t just made using industrial means. It was about the era’s obsession with fashion as a signifier of social status. This image reminds us that fashion and its means of circulation are always connected.