Journal des Luxus und der Moden 1788, Band III, T.28 1788

This fashion plate comes from Friedrich Justin Bertuch’s Journal des Luxus und der Moden, made in Germany in 1788. The printmaking process itself is interesting; the image was likely etched onto a copper plate, then printed in black and hand-colored. Now, let's look at the dress. It gives us a window onto the textile industry of the time. The delicate fabrics, the intricate lace, the careful pleating – all speak to specialized labor. Making these garments required a whole network of skilled artisans, from spinners and weavers to dyers and seamstresses, suggesting a rigidly stratified society. Even the pink dye, though subtle, would have been relatively expensive. The Journal itself was a commodity, feeding the desires of an elite clientele, and stimulating demand for the goods depicted. It’s easy to see fashion as frivolous, but in fact, it was deeply connected to the economic and social realities of the late 18th century.