Lezende vrouw in huisjapon 1802 - 1855

Carl Cristiaan Fuchs made this print, “Lezende vrouw in huisjapon,” which translates to “Reading woman in dressing gown,” using etching and hand-coloring. What I find interesting is the depiction of clothing as material culture. Look closely, and you’ll see the subtle details of the woman's attire, her light blue skirt, her housecoat, her lace bonnet. The way these garments are constructed, and the fabrics they’re made from, would have been deeply significant to contemporary viewers. These details speak volumes about social status, domesticity, and the labor involved in textile production. The act of reading itself, made possible by industrial advances in printing, reflects a changing world. In the same vein, consider the furniture – the chair, the rug, the foot warmer – all objects of comfort and status. Fuchs invites us to reflect on the intersection of fashion, industry, and the everyday lives of 19th-century Dutch women. We might consider the ways in which clothing and objects mediate class, politics, and consumption.