Journal des Demoiselles, 1 décembre 1892, No. 4914 : Toilettes de Mme Galard (...) 1892

This print, published in Paris on December 1st, 1892, by P. Deferneville, presents a study in the semiotics of fashion, where clothing functions as a complex sign system. The composition layers textures and colors: the olive and maroon of the standing woman’s gown, juxtaposed with the soft pinks and blues of the other figures. Each ensemble is meticulously detailed, inviting a reading of social status through fabric, cut, and adornment. Deferneville uses the structure of fashion to dissect and redefine societal norms. The cut of a sleeve, the drape of a skirt – each element is a signifier embedded in cultural codes. The image becomes a field for decoding the aspirations and self-expression of the late 19th-century woman. Through fashion, Deferneville invites us to see how clothing both reflects and constructs identity, engaging with questions of representation and the instability of assigned meanings.