From Fribourg
1822
Sporting a straw hat so enormous it could double as a patio umbrella, this young woman is the definition of 19th-century rural chic. Swiss artist Franz Niklaus König painted her in 1822, likely documenting the traditional costume of the Fribourg region (referenced in the title 'De Friberg'). She clutches a closed parasol like a walking stick while standing next to a basket full of what appear to be kittens or small puppies, looking ready for a day at the market. These kinds of 'costume studies' were the Instagram of the Romantic era—capturing local fashion and daily life before modernization swept it all away.
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- Watercolor
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