Le Follet, 1853, No. 1817 bis : Costumes de Humann (...) 1853

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Le Follet, 1853, No. 1817 bis," a drawing in ink and watercolor on paper by an anonymous artist. What's your initial reaction? Editor: They strike me as… a bit puffed up, actually. The tight tailoring, the raised chins. This image fairly breathes the rising bourgeois ambition of the mid-19th century! Curator: The composition, too, lends itself to that reading. Note the crisp linearity of the figures and their clothing, set against the soft, indistinct backdrop of nature. This reinforces the figures' distinct separation from, almost dominance over, their environment. Editor: Absolutely! The attire itself speaks volumes. The leftmost figure’s plaid trousers, though fashionable, feel almost like a flamboyant challenge to established norms, don't they? He’s embracing the new wealth. Curator: I see the visual rhyme between the plaid of the trousers and the soft stippling used for the leaves behind them—the artist is visually yoking 'nature' to artifice. The figure on the right, however, is the picture of classic top-hatted respectability. Note his cane; its polished, gleaming finish signals status. Editor: A definite symbol of power and control, the cane transforms from a practical object into an emblem. Consider, too, the slight arch to his brow. The top hat becomes a kind of crown, signifying authority and belonging within a rigid social hierarchy. Curator: Precisely. The visual harmony of the three figures rests in their formal arrangement, however the differences, or perhaps aspirational aims of the figures, are all there to be decoded by a knowing beholder. Editor: This "knowing beholdier", that’s who "Le Follet" served. As a fashion plate, it disseminated visual information, instructing its readers on how to construct their own identities through clothing, while also commenting on social dynamics. Curator: A complex layering of surface and substance—revealing an underlying tension between individual expression and societal expectations, don't you agree? Editor: Indeed, a fashionable surface hiding so much more. Fascinating!