Halcyon Days: Fashion and Culture in Reform-Age Pest
The Reform Age (1830–1848) in Hungary (which was then part of the Habsburg Empire) was characterised by economic, social, and cultural revival. Fashion magazines played an important role in this flourishing period. Pesti Divatlap, Életképek, Honderü, and the German language Der Spiegel and Der Ungar appeared with varied illustrations and rich content. These periodicals primarily targeted women readers but also attracted men. They entertained and shaped the readers’ thinking, taste, and community consciousness. They were connected to the development of a modern Hungarian press and literary scene, to urbanisation and industrialisation, and to the formulation of national and European identity, as well as to intellectual discussions about fashion. This exhibition showcases the effervescent artistic and intellectual life of the city of Pest through fashion magazines and clothing in the 1840s.
Images courtesy of the Petőfi Literary Museum.