German fashion plate copied from No. 43 Journal des Dames et des Modes

Fashion magazines ceased from 1793 to 1797 as society reeled from the most violent years of the Revolution, when an estimated 17, 000 state executions took place. Around 1800, ideals of Greco-Roman “democratic” dress became fully realized. Columnar white cotton gowns with short sleeves and raised “empire” waistlines (so called for Napoleon’s French empire) aligned with ancient silhouettes.