Portret van een dame 1796 - 1850

Jean Augustin Daiwaille sketched this portrait of a lady, using graphite on paper, in the early 19th century. The lady’s bonnet and dress tell us much about the social conventions of the time. Fashion was a signifier of social status, and portraits like this one played a role in constructing and reinforcing those hierarchies. While the French Revolution had challenged aristocratic privilege, new social elites quickly emerged, eager to display their wealth and status. This portrait, with its attention to the details of clothing and appearance, reflects that impulse. To understand the image fully, we might research fashion plates and etiquette manuals from the period, which reveal the codes and expectations that governed social life. Such sources help us see how art is always embedded in a specific time and place.