This article explores the image of the ladies' toilet in the fine arts of the mid-17th - early 20th centuries. The premise of the study is the growing interest in studying the issue of the evolution of women's fashion and the transformation of the traditions of the ladies' toilet over several centuries. The purpose of the study is to trace the transformation of the process of collecting and putting in order the appearance of ladies in paintings from the mid-17th to early 20th centuries. The study includes the study of socio-political, technological and stylistic factors and their influence on the ritual of ladies' gatherings, as well as their reflection on paintings. The main research method was a factorial and comparative analysis of paintings depicting the ritual of the ladies' toilet, such as «The Lady's Toilet» by Gerard Terborch, «The Morning Toilet» and «The Lady at the Toilet» by Jan Steen, «The Morning Toilet» by J. B. S. Chardin, « A Lady's Toilet by François Boucher, Woman at the Dressing Table by Gustave Caillebotte, Nana by Edouard Manet, At the Dressing Table. Self-Portrait by Zinaida Serebryakova and Girl Combing Her Hair by William McGregor Paxton. Based on the patterns identified during the analysis, a comparative analysis of the traditions of the ladies' toilet of the 17th - 18th and 19th - 20th centuries was carried out. At the end of the study, the key features of each historical period were identified, the influence of sociocultural and political factors on fashion and it was possible to trace the transformation of the traditions of ladies' dressing, picturesquely reflected in the elements of the surrounding space, the decoration of the dressing table, sanitary and hygienic means, fashion and medicine and their influence on the image women.
ladies' toilet, female image, hygiene, fashion
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