English Gentlewoman in 1640, Green Gown and Lace Kerchief, Jefferys Print, 1757

This is an original antique copper engraving from 1757, colored by hand, lettered "Habit of an English Gentlewoman, in 1640." A young woman stands facing the viewer, her hair dressed in curls at the sides with a white ribbon, and drop earrings at her ears. A high white collar is covered by a large kerchief edged with lace that falls in a point over her bodice. Her gown is a soft green, with a tabbed waist, buttoned sleeves turned back with white cuffs and a full skirt falling to the ground. One hand hangs at her side while the other, at her breast, holds a cord from which a small gold ornament hangs.

The English title is engraved in script below the image: "Habit of an English Gentlewoman, in 1640." Beneath it, in smaller italic letters, is the French caption "Dame Anglois.", meaning "English lady". The plate number 220 is engraved at lower right. 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 modest kerchief and plain green gown are more restrained than the dress of the ladies of quality in the same group.

Its soft green coloring is restful and suits a bedroom or a dressing room, alone or with the gentleman of 1640.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.