Mesangere Collection

A young fashionable man shows a girl how to play with a Diabolo (Chinese yo-yo). Expertise on the Diabolo is now indispensable

Children building a house of cards on a table, 19th century. The mid-calf length dresses allow girls to run and romp, while the pantalons preserve their modesty

Shopgirls playing the game of a little bird told me
A mistress of a clothes shop and her staff playing a game of a little bird told me. The women wear bonnets, aprons, and black dresses

Ladies playing badminton in a garden, 1817
Elegant ladies or meveilleuses playing badminton in a garden. Several have their hair in the fashionable short cut known as the martyr or victime

Return from the masked ball
Return from the ball: a young man flirts with several women undressing after a costume ball. During carnival you must be especially vigilant, old husbands of young wives, outdated lovers

A meeting at a masquerade ball
A meeting at a ball: A masked woman and Normandy girl flirt with a revolutionary man in bicorn and cockade, while a woman in drag as a Turkish man interrupts and a double bass player looks

Preparing for a masked ball, 1800s
Preparations for a masquerade. We no longer see harlequins and pierrots at masked balls, but instead costumes of Switzerland and Normandy

Two merveilleuses with a fortune teller
Their credulity is her only science. A fortune teller reads the cards for two credulous merveilleuses in shawls and turbans

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)

Merveilleuses eating ice cream at a Paris cafe
Fashionable women or merveilleuses eating ice cream with their dogs at a cafe, circa 1800. The menu includes lemon, orange, pistachio, and creme blanche

Titus hairstyles and cache-folie wigs
Two women at the hairdressers receiving the short haircut called the Titus (after the Roman emperor), while a stylist holds up a cache-folie wig

Visitors in Pelisses
Guests at a fashionable salon, all wearing extravagent fur-lined clothes, jackets, dresses and pelisses. By the early 19th century, fur lined and trimmed cloaks, coats and jackets were all the rage

Mother playing with baby and daughter in a garden
A young mother dandles a baby, while a little girl with a doll leans against her lap. A glance at these engravings is enough to see what one can say about this subject

Mother playing with daughters in a garden
A young mother dandles a girl on her foot, while her other child drops her toys to beg for a cuddle. A glance at these engravings is enough to see what one can say about this subject

Performing dogs
A gentleman with a whip controls four dogs dancing on their hind legs dressed in the latest fashions on stage. The dog show continues to attract crowds at the Theatre Montansier in Versailles

Scene from La Marchande des Modes
Scene from Etienne Jouys 1808 play La Marchande des Modes, a parody of La Vestale (his own opera from 1807 with music by Spontini)

The Incomparable Ravel, French rope dancer
The incomparable Ravel, a guitar-playing French tightrope artist from the early 19th century, with two dancers on thick ropes

New Years Gifts
A boy in dragoon uniform scrabbles for sweets under his fathers legs, while a baby plays with a puppet on his mothers lap. A black servant boy prays for a gift at left

Old woman giving a magic lantern show
The old style. An old woman showing a young dandy and merveilleuses old-fashioned scenes with a magic lantern. The images are artist without pretension, the studious young man

Shop girls preparing for bed. Wearing turbans, shawls and lowcut cotton nightshifts, four shopgirls relax before bed. Handcoloured engraving from Pierre de la Mesangeres Le Bon Genre, Paris, 1817

Cavalcade at Longchamp racetrack
Cavalcade de Longchamp. Two incroyables (fops) mounted on heavy dray horses instead of thoroughbreds at Longchamp racetrack

Shop girls dressing in the morning. Four shop girls dressing, fixing their hair in front of mirror, adjusting their stockings, playing with a cat. These little workers show such ingenious coquetry

Millinery shop workers. Women in lowcut muslin dresses trying on hats, holding a hat box, fixing feathers to a headdress and reading a notebook at the counter

Fabric shop workers. Women in muslin dresses, bonnets and shawls embroidering, sewing, cutting cloth and wrapping bolts of fabric

Three graces of the Ballet of **. Elegant ballet dancers in costume (one in turban and shawl, one with tambourine and dress decorated with flowers)

Two May-September couples dancing at a ball
Two May-September couples at a ball. The old and ugly partners have arranged the company of two young, good-looking escorts, who flirt with each other

Coryphees at a ball. Incroyables in jackets with outsize buttons and collars, long cravat, huge bicorn hat, and merveilleuses with decollete dresses and large lace collars

The problem with Capote bonnets: two womens deep-brimmed bonnets collide as they greet each other, while fashionable men watch

Fashionable couples dancing La Sauteuse
Fashionable couples dancing la Sauteuse, a pair dance popular circa 1800. The man grips the woman around the waist, while jumping from foot to foot and spinning her around

Evening party at Coblentz (between rue Taitbout and rue Neuve-Lepelletier, Paris). A group of women and children (including a black woman)

Two incroyables (fops) with cudgels hinder the promenade of two merveilleuses by pinning the tails of their dresses. One looks back coquettishly at the ridiculous dandy

Fashionable dancers performing La Trenis, a country dance section in the popular quadrille created by the French dance master Trenitz

The bored women of Longchamp racetrack. Three fashionable bored women sit among a mountain of chairs as a maid clears them away

Miss Pastel and her mother
Miss Pastel followed by her mother. A young beauty art student carries brushes, palette and canvas, while her mother in bonnet, shawl and gloves carries a heavy easel and stool

Three Parisian graces, circa 1800. Three unattractive maids wear the latest Paris fashions. Its certainly true that in fashion a servile herd of imitators abounds

Merveilleuses playing the game of blind mans buff. A blindfolded woman runs in a garden as one woman strokes her hand and another grabs her muslin dress

Merveilleuses playing the four corners game of tag
The four corners game of tag. Five merveilleuses in muslin dresses play the game of four corners, a version of tag. Illustration by Dominique Bosio

Choosing the jockey: Young woman in form-revealing dress and short martyr hairstyle seated on chaise longue pointing to a young man with a dog, while two older men and a black servant boy watch

Merveilleuses playing the game of La Main Chaude
La main chaude or Paumele. Merveilleuses in flimsy muslin dresses play the game of hot hands. One girl buries her head in anothers lap, and has to guess which friend slaps her arm

Girls skipping in a park, early 19th century
Girls playing the skipping game of Walking under the Arch, boy playing hoop, while another girl watches. Scene in a Paris park

A woman writes a letter on a somno in a messy
A woman writes a letter on a somno (night table containing a chamberpot) with her feet on a pillow, while her dog chews a lace collar and a cat sleeps on her ballgown

Woman on a chaise longue looking at a new hat
Woman on a chaise longue in fringed shawl admiring a new hat held by her milliner, while a maid holds a bottle of perfume. The best remedy, or the Longchamp hat

French and English women in similar fashions
Mutual borrowing of fashions between French and English women, early 19th century. Both wear identical style bonnets, frilled dresses, shawls and spencer jackets

Miss Busk and Mr Corset at a dance party. Fashionable couple in tight corsets dancing at a ball. To appear slim, there are young men today who wear corsets like the women

The creole game or flying ring game, early 19thc century
Fashionable people playing the flying ring game or the creole game. When the Parisians adopted the game, it had to be embellished: so the ring was covered with ribbon, then rosettes, then bells

Merveilleuses playing badminton in a garden
Badminton. Merveilleuse in flimsy dresses play a game of badminton in a garden. Several have their hair in the fashionable short cut known as the martyr or victime

Three girls in mid-calf length dresses and pantalons dancing with a shawl. Handcoloured engraving from Pierre de la Mesangeres Le Bon Genre, Paris, 1817

Woman in a shop choosing a new dress, early 19th century
Woman in a shop trying to decide which dress matches her new hat. A shopgirl holds a dress trimmed with flowers, and another with gauze frill

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In the enchanting world of "mesangere, " a young fashionable man shows a girl how to embrace style with grace and confidence. As children delicately build a house of cards on a table, they learn patience and precision, reminiscent of the refined 19th-century era. Shopgirls engage in the playful game of "a little bird told me, " exchanging secrets and laughter amidst their bustling work environment. Ladies adorned in elegant attire gracefully glide across a garden while playing badminton, capturing the essence of leisurely pursuits in 1817. The return from a masked ball brings forth an air of mystery and excitement as partygoers unveil their hidden identities, leaving behind unforgettable memories. A meeting at a masquerade ball sparks intrigue and romance under dimly lit chandeliers, where strangers become entangled in captivating conversations. Preparations for these extravagant events transport us back to the opulent 1800s, as individuals meticulously choose masks that will conceal their true selves. Amidst this glamorous backdrop, two merveilleuses seek guidance from a fortune teller, seeking insight into their futures filled with adventure and allure. Witnessing two pretty maids helping dress two old crones reminds us that beauty transcends age; kindness knows no boundaries. Indulging in ice cream at Paris cafes allows merveilleuses to savor both fashion and culinary delights simultaneously – truly living life to its fullest. Titus hairstyles paired with cache-folie wigs showcase daring trends that challenge societal norms while visitors clad in pelisses exude elegance even during colder seasons. In this mesmerizing world called "mesangere, " imagination intertwines with history as each scene unfolds like pages from an antique novel – inviting us to relish moments frozen in time forevermore.