Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1780, dd 167 : Jeune Actrice Bourgeois (...) 1780

Curator: Ah, here we have "Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français, 1780, dd 167 : Jeune Actrice Bourgeois (...)" by Nicolas Dupin, residing here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a print, employing etching, on paper. What strikes you initially about it? Editor: Gosh, the hair! It's like a celebratory tower built of curls and feathers. Honestly, it reminds me of those desserts you can't believe are real. And the dress – what a magnificent, overwhelming shape! Curator: Absolutely! These fashion plates were not just innocent records. Consider how they reflected and constructed societal hierarchies, especially for women. Clothing became a battleground—a very visible marker of class and aspiration. Editor: A battleground made of lace! You’re so right. But it's also kind of comical, isn't it? This woman seems almost trapped by her own finery, teetering on the edge of ridiculousness. Curator: That tension between beauty and burden is key. Dupin captures that moment of Rococo excess, where fashion verges on satire of itself. Observe the gaze she gives us, is it innocent or knowing of the burden of the clothing itself? Editor: Knowing, definitely. Like she's in on the joke. She’s giving a performance, almost daring us to laugh, but also making us question our own expectations of femininity and performance. Curator: Precisely. We can use a close-reading to look into power structures around gender. The print, itself, through its mass reproduction, democratizes access to fashion while simultaneously reinforcing ideals of beauty that only a select few could attain. Editor: It is clever how it makes me feel something so contradictory, I'm simultaneously yearning and critiquing at once! So, she becomes both subject and object, doesn't she? It really is a stunning moment to capture. Curator: A potent encapsulation of a very particular cultural moment indeed. Editor: Absolutely. Thanks for untangling that with me.