Boekenkast 1832 - 1877

This is a print of a "Bibliotheque", or bookcase, made anonymously in Paris. The print comes from a series titled, "Le Magasin de Meubles," or the furniture store. We can understand it as an artifact of the burgeoning consumer culture, a society that was more and more defined by its pursuit and acquisition of things. The bookcase is embellished with neoclassical motifs and gilded details, reflecting the prevailing taste for luxury among the wealthy, just prior to the Revolution. Such prints catered to a market eager to decorate their homes in the latest styles, but it also reflects the aspirations of the rising bourgeoisie who sought to emulate the aristocracy. We as art historians might turn to sources such as trade catalogs, inventories of aristocratic households, and popular literature to uncover the values, material conditions, and institutional structures that gave rise to such objects.