Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, nr. 15, kopie naar L. 63: La Petite Mère au Rendez-vous des Champs-Elysées (...) 1778 - 1780

Curator: Oh, she looks utterly forlorn, doesn't she? There's a palpable melancholy about her. I want to know her story. Editor: And what a story this print whispers! We’re looking at an engraving dating from somewhere between 1778 and 1780, aptly titled "La Petite Mère au Rendez-vous des Champs-Élysées…". It’s attributed to an anonymous artist and is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. A hand-coloured vision of Rococo fashion. Curator: Hand-coloured indeed! It gives such a human touch. But even beyond the fashions, that subtle stoop, the averted gaze...the garden almost feels like a cage. I find it deeply poignant. Is it just me? Editor: Not at all! Consider the role of women during this period. Fashion, even rendezvous in the Champs-Élysées, was a performance. Her dress—striped muslin petticoat and flowered apron—speaks of wealth, leisure. And yet, the dark shawl hints at constraint, a societal expectation perhaps at odds with her own desires. Curator: The hat! I was so struck by that feathery confection! The artist describes it as trimmed with pearls and tassels. It is extravagant and slightly absurd and makes me smile. I find some much-needed joy in it. Editor: But consider the burden, the weight, literally and figuratively! Such adornments weren't simply pretty; they signaled status and enforced conformity. It’s the performative aspect of aristocratic life on full display. Curator: True. It's easy to get swept away by the frills and forget the societal strictures underneath. Looking at the use of color, it’s all so delicate—the pale pinks, the gentle greens. Almost like a dream, or a memory. Editor: It's the perfect aesthetic for an era on the brink of revolution, a final, gilded sigh before everything changes. The artistry almost conceals the unease bubbling underneath. Curator: That contrast...that’s what really resonates. Makes one wonder what awaits her, just beyond the frame. Editor: Exactly! Perhaps our "petite mère" is contemplating those very questions, as the world she knows is set to shift on its axis. The artist has managed to make me stop and really consider what the next chapter of the revolution could mean for her and women just like her.