Fashion plate from Journal de la Mode et du Goût, Dix-neuvième Cahier, 25 Août 1790, August 25, 1790
Hand-colored engravingexpand_more
The Minnich Collection The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund, 1966expand_more P.15,521-P.15,522
Not on Viewexpand_more
These women address one another from opposite sides of a partisan divide. The woman on the right is dressed for revolution with a utilitarian hat, prominent cockade, and natural, unpowdered hair. Her tricolor riding habit closely parallels men’s contemporary military dress. The magazine even refers to her ensemble as a “uniform,” acknowledging women’s active involvement in the revolutionary movement. She points accusingly to a woman who clings to the past with her powdered coiffure and formal silk gown. But both exploit color symbolism: from head to toe the revolutionary commits to the national colors, while the other chooses yellow and purple: both counterrevolutionary symbols. Purple traditionally represented royalty, while yellow and black were the national colors of Austria, Queen Marie Antoinette’s homeland. The traditionalist’s feathered headdress— reminiscent of a crown—leaves no doubt about her political orientation.
Details
- Title
- Fashion plate from Journal de la Mode et du Goût, Dix-neuvième Cahier, 25 Août 1790
- Artist Life
- 1760–1837
- Role
- Author
- Accession Number
- P.15,521-P.15,522
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Colas 1557
- Curator Approved
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