La Parure des Dames, Plate 8
Eighth plate of a set of 12 plates of men's and women's coiffures, containing four designs for women's coiffures. The hairstyles are presented inside four simple, rectangular frames, each containing an illustration of the upper body of a woman, wearing a fashionable dress of the 1770s, and matching hairstyles. The first coiffure, for deep mourning, consists of a large bonnet, executed with light tones of blue and gray, with a ruffled border, and decorated with black strips of fabric, brooches with pearls, and large, black feathers. The second coiffure, for half mourning, consists of a light blue bonnet decorated with a diagonal, black band, a thin garland of red, purple and yellow roses, green leaves, and rosettes formed by small, white pearls, and three large feathers, two colored with yellow and one with purple, also containing a strip of pearls running through the middle. The third hairstyle consists of a riding hat, colored with black, with a purple band with a bow, and yellow borders, and decorated with a bundle of large feathers, colored with shades of purple, red, and green, thin, long, green leaves, and small, purple rosettes. The final hairstyle consists of a light blue hat with thin, black stripes, with a light green brim with white, ruffled edges, decorated with red ribbons with rosettes made up of small, white pearls, a bundle of red roses, yellow and purple flowers, and green leaves on the front-left, and a bundle of large feathers, colored with purple, red, and orange, on the upper part. Under the illustrations is a poem about the ornate hairstyles, decorated with feathers and festoons that adorn the hair of upper-class women of the time, contrary to the simple styles, without chignon and curls, that made up the older hair fashions.
Artwork Details
- Title: La Parure des Dames, Plate 8
- Publisher: Published by Mondhare et Jean , Paris
- Date: ca. 1776
- Medium: Hand colored engraving
- Dimensions: Image (each): 5 1/8 × 3 13/16 in. (13 × 9.7 cm)
Plate: 12 1/4 × 8 5/8 in. (31.1 × 21.9 cm)
Sheet: 14 15/16 × 9 1/2 in. (38 × 24.2 cm)
Album: 15 9/16 × 10 7/16 × 1/4 in. (39.5 × 26.5 × 0.6 cm) - Classifications: Books, Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1953
- Object Number: 53.539.8
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.