The Morning Toilet (La Petite Toilette), from Le Monument du Costume 1745 - 1797

Pietro Antonio Martini created this etching, "The Morning Toilet", as part of a series called *Le Monument du Costume* in the late 18th century. The print offers a window into the performative rituals of aristocratic masculinity during the Ancien Régime in France. Here, a man reclines in a robe while being attended to by a wigmaker, surrounded by other members of the court. Martini captures the preening and social dynamics of elite men, whose identities were intricately tied to their appearance and status. What we witness is less about personal hygiene and more about staging a public persona. Consider the gaze of the men in the scene, and the intimacy of the grooming ritual being performed. The dog seems to be the only earnest figure in the scene. How does the artist use this intimate moment to speak to broader themes of gender, class, and power? What narratives does it perpetuate, and what alternatives might it suggest?