Journal des Dames et des Modes, Paris, March 6, 1805.
“Turban de Drap d’Or. Aigrette d’Oiseau de Paradis.”
This is such a lovely print, but sadly, only the head-dress is described. And it is described as a turban made of gold cloth. The cloth, however is dark pink here and in every other copy of this print I’ve seen. There is, though, a pattern of tiny flowers painted in metallic gold paint. So maybe that classifies it as cloth of gold. The turban is ornamented with a bird of paradise feather.
The necklace and earrings are also painted in gold metallic paint, impossible to see online but very bright in person.
The dress is white with short sleeves trimmed in puffings. The white standing collar falls into a deep V in the back. One wonders if the front also dips into a V. The collar is pleated and appears to be embroidered. It is likely stiffened or starched to allow it to stand up. Below the V in the back is a row of three small buttons, and below that is a white ribbon tied in a bow at the waist.
The hemline of the overdress (we can see the simple underdress beneath) shows beautiful white-on-white embroidery in a floral pattern.
My favorite element of this ensemble is the gorgeous shawl. We do not know the fabric, but it is March and probably still a bit chilly, so it is unlikely muslin. A lightweight wool, perhaps? If it is wool, the stunning floral design is likely embroidered or even woven. If it is a muslin or other cotton fabric, it might be printed. In either case it is eye-catching. French fashion prints that include a shawl almost always feature the shawl prominently, often holding it out for us to see its full design.
The crease in the print means that the issue (the magazine came out every 5 days) was mailed to a subscriber. Apparently, all mailed issues were folded. Even though the war with Napoleon raged and there were many blockades against French products, there seems to have been many English subscribers to this magazine that managed to receive their copies. English publishers certainly had access to prints from this French magazine, as they routinely copied them for their own magazines.
