Recently, I just got into the world of fashion. To me, what people wear truly says more about a person than words can. So, I wanted to show the beautiful fashions that people had in some of the paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609)ca. 1600 El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
What drew me to this painting was the beautiful light fuchsia cardinal attire this man is wearing. At the time when this was painted, Cardinal Fernando Nino de Guevara was a Cardinal. However, as he progressed up in Church ranks, he became an Inquisitor, which is a title that holds significant power in the Church. Back in this time, purple fabric was hard to come by because it was so expensive to make. So, only the wealthy had access to fabric in this color. When looking at this painting, you can immediately tell that not only is this man apart of the Church, but he also has some sort of wealth and power.
Mrs. Hugh Hammersley (1892) John Singer Sargent
When I saw this painting, I immediately fell in love with the dress this woman is wearing. I love how at the top of the dress, the color has a pinkish hue, but as the dress travels down to the floor, it becomes more reddish in color. Even though the painting isn’t as vibrant and detail oriented, you can tell Mrs. Hugh Hammersley is wearing a velvet dress, based on the textures of the painting. A main theme for many of these paintings with beautiful fashions is wealth. Back in this time, and even today, in order to afford beautiful, expensive clothes is to have wealth. You can tell, based of what Mrs. Hugh Hammersley is wearing is that she is wealthy. She is married to a banker and was a “fashionable hostess” in London in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The Fortune-Teller (probably 1630s) Georges de La Tour
When I first saw this painting, my eyes were immediately drawn to the lady on the right. I thought her dress was absolutely beautiful and one of the most eye-catching things in this painting. Her dress is so detailed that you can almost guess what kind of fabric she is wearing. Out of all of the paintings in my gallery, this is one of the only ones where what the subject(s) are wearing is not the main event. This painting is depicting a man (in the center) who is getting his fortune told by the Romani women at the edges of the painting. Also, this painting goes against the common theme that wealth is needed to have beautiful clothes. Out of all of the people in this photo, the man in the middle has the most wealth. However, out of all of the people in the painting, his clothes are the most boring.
The Pink Dress (Albertie-Marguerite Carré, later Madame Ferdinand-Henri Himmes, 1854–1935)ca. 1870 Berthe Morisot
Out of all of the paintings in my gallery, this is one of the only ones where what the subject is wearing is a part of the title. And honestly, the pink dress is the star of the show. My eyes were immediately drawn to the dress and the choker around her neck. One thing that is notable for me is that the color of the dress isn’t as vibrant as some of the other dresses I saw in other paintings, and it isn’t as intricate. Also, the background isn’t vibrant either. Honestly, it’s rather boring compared to the dress, which makes it stand out. This made me think of the saying “less is more”, and truly in the case of this painting, less is truly more.
Madame Jacques-Louis Leblanc (Françoise Poncelle, 1788–1839)1823 Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
This painting is my favorite one out of all the ones in my gallery. Like mentioned before, less is more, but this panting is a balance between less and more. For many people, they may be drawn to the intricate fabric that Madame Jacques-Louis Leblanc is sitting on. However, my eyes were drawn to the beautiful black gown she is wearing. To me, the black ie very pigmented, which I love. Like many of the paintings in my gallery, it is so detailed that you can figure out what kind of fabric is used in both the dress and the “blanket” she is sitting on, which I love.
Louis Gueymard (1822–1880) as Robert le Diable (1857) Gustave Courbet
This painting is especially unique because a man is the main subject. Oftentimes when we think of fashion, we only think of women. However, men are players in the fashion world as well. I absolutely love the vibrant orange of Louis Gueymard’s costume. This is a painting of a play, which is especially interesting. To me, the artist’s eyes were mostly on Louis Gueymard due to how muted the other characters are in the background. The orange is so bright and vibrant that I don’t even pay attention to Louis Gueymard’s face. I think like myself, the artist was enamored with the costume, which is why it is so prominent in the painting.
Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)1883–84 John Singer Sargent
When I saw this painting, I immediately thought of the saying that “fashion trends repeat themselves after 20 years.” This dress reminded me of what Lily-Rose Depp wore to the 2019 Met Gala. From the color, to even the chain straps of the dress, Madame X’s dress is nearly identical to Lily-Rose Depp’s. This also made me realize that even though we are generations apart, we are all similar in behavior. We often think that people in the past are so ignorant and backward, but at the same time, we’re all human, and it’s only a difference in centuries. If we were to travel back in time to the 1800s, we would be so surprised to how similar the people back then are to us.
Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn (1825–1860), Princesse de Broglie 1851–53 Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
I remember seeing this painting in person and being enamored with how realistic it was. When looking at the painting, especially the gown, it almost feels like a photograph. The blue of the gown and the ribbons in her hair are so vibrant. You can see the wealth emanating from this painting. From the jewelry to even the coat that she is leaning next to, you can sense that she has some sort of wealth and power in society. Her gown reminds me of the gown Cinderella wore (in the animation) to the ball. This woman in the painting, happens to be a princess, and her attire is very fitting.
Bashi-Bazouk (1868–69) Jean-Léon Gérôme
Out of all the paintings in my gallery, this is one of the only ones where the subject is not European/Western. When I saw this painting, I fell in love with the colors of the headdress this man is wearing. Then, I saw the beautiful coral colored silk tunic he is wearing as well. At first I thought the subject was a high ranking man in society with a lot of money. But, he is actually a soldier. This was especially surprising to me because I can’t imagine anyone fighting with such an exquisite outfit. Not to mention, you would stand out in battle because of the vibrant colors of both the headdress and tunic. But then I realized at this point in time, being a soldier in battle was a very honorable thing, and the attire he is wearing reflects that.
A Rose (1907) Thomas Anshutz
The name of this painting is ‘A Rose’, and it reminds me of just that. The dress the subject is wearing is nearly rose colored, and the flounces of the dress remind me of the petals of a rose. This dress also reminded me of the idea that fashion repeats itself because it looks like something I could see people wearing today. I love the fact that you can almost guess the type of fabric that is used and maybe even the time period without looking at the date. My favorite thing about this painting isn’t fashion related, but is that there is a rose on the counter behind her, which begs the question, who does the painter view as the rose in this painting? The woman or the actual rose?
Very cool theme and great selections. Where might you hold your “show?” Who might the audience be?