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Two pretty maids helping to dress two old crones
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Two pretty maids helping to dress two old crones
La toilette: Two young women help older women with baby bonnets and false bosoms - while giving knowing looks to the viewer. Women of 19 and 20 are in open war with women of a certain age (30). They adopt fashions that suit only them, such as flat bonnets and childish caps. Handcoloured engraving from Pierre de la Mesangeres Le Bon Genre, Paris, 1817. La toilette: Two young women help older women with baby bonnets and false bosoms - while giving knowing looks to the viewer. Women of 19 and 20 are in open war with women of a certain age (30). They adopt fashions that suit only them, such as flat bonnets and childish caps. Handcoloured engraving from Pierre de la Mesangeres Le Bon Genre, Paris, 1817
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Media ID 23194770
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EDITORS COMMENTS
La Toilette: A Satirical Take on Intergenerational Fashion Rivalries in 19th Century France This intriguing hand-coloured engraving, titled "La Toilette," is an amusing commentary on the fashion rivalries between young and old women during the Napoleonic and Regency eras in France. The image, created by Pierre de la Mesangere for his publication "Le Bon Genre" in 1817, depicts two young maids, aged 19 and 20, assisting two older women, presumably in their thirties, in their dressing room. The older women wear elaborate, high-necked gowns, adorned with lace and frills, and are in the process of putting on baby bonnets and false bosoms. The young maids, on the other hand, are dressed in simple, flat-bonneted dresses, reminiscent of the Empire style popular at the time. The young women exchange knowing looks with the viewer, as if to suggest their superiority in fashion and youth. The older women, seemingly oblivious to the maids' disdainful gazes, continue to adopt outdated fashions that no longer suit them. This intergenerational conflict over fashion trends is a common theme in satirical art of the time, reflecting the societal pressure to conform to the latest styles and the desire to maintain one's youth and vitality. The mirror in the background serves as a reflection of the women's vanity and self-absorption, while the various cosmetics and toiletries scattered around the room highlight the importance of beauty and grooming in the lives of these women. The overall effect of this engraving is a humorous and insightful commentary on the fashion landscape of the early 19th century, as well as the enduring tensions between generations and the desire to stay young and relevant.
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