Jefferys, Merchant's Wife of London in 1640, Back View, 1757, Engraving

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This is an original antique copper engraving from 1757, colored by hand, lettered "Habit of a Merchants Wife of London … Read more This is an original antique copper engraving from 1757, colored by hand, lettered "Habit of a Merchants Wife of London in 1640." The woman is seen from behind, turning her head over her shoulder toward the viewer's left. She wears a broad brimmed dark hat with a band, and a white kerchief edged with lace falls in a point down her back. Her gray gown is gathered up behind in heavy folds over a rust red petticoat, beneath which a golden yellow underskirt with an embroidered hem reaches the ground. One hand is raised at her shoulder. The English title is engraved in script below the image: "Habit of a Merchants Wife of London in 1640." Beneath it, in smaller italic letters, is the French caption "Femme de Merchand de Londres.", meaning "wife of a London merchant". The plate number 222 is engraved at lower right. The English title is engraved without an apostrophe in "Merchants", and the French caption spells the word "Merchand". No engraver or artist is named on the plate. The plate comes from the second volume of Thomas Jefferys' A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations, Antient and Modern, published in London in 1757 by Jefferys, Geographer to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in the Strand. The work has a parallel French title page, Recueil des Habillements de Différentes Nations, which is why each plate is captioned in both languages. The English title page states that the old English dresses were taken after the designs of Holbein, Vandyke, Hollar and others, so the date in the caption belongs to the costume and not to the print. The back view lets the plate show the way the gown was gathered up over layered petticoats, a detail a front view would hide. The unusual back view makes this an interesting choice to hang with a front facing figure from the same group. Condition: Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the left edge. Light, uneven toning, soiled along all four edges. Scattered light foxing and one larger brown spot in the margin. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less