Fashion plate from Magasin des Modes Nouvelles, Quatrième Année, Trente-troisième Cahier, 11 Novembre 1789, November 11, 1789
Hand-colored engravingexpand_more
The Minnich Collection The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund, 1966expand_more P.15,439-P.15,440
Not on Viewexpand_more
Often the smallest details carried the greatest symbolic weight. Even men’s shoe buckles—costly accessories purchased from jewelers—conveyed partisan commentary in form and materials. A royalist pre-revolutionary solid silver buckle with the king’s initial “L” (for Louis) would become a political fl ashpoint the following year, not only for its imagery. Supporters of the Revolution donated thousands of jewelry items, including shoe buckles, to the National Assembly for conversion into money. In an era of economic crisis, buckles made from inexpensive copper, not silver—or better yet, ribbon ties—were deemed patriotic and egalitarian.
By November 1789, devotees of the new nation could choose from buckles in the shape of the Bastille prison (top)— complete with ramparts and tiny cannons—or (bottom) ones symbolizing the Third Estate (commoners). According to the description, the latter took its form from a triangular square ruler utilized by masons and architects.
Details
- Title
- Fashion plate from Magasin des Modes Nouvelles, Quatrième Année, Trente-troisième Cahier, 11 Novembre 1789
- Artist Life
- French, 1736–1800 or after
- Role
- Engraver
- Accession Number
- P.15,439-P.15,440
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Colas 1936 Cabinet des Modes Le Brun
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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