Oliverian, English Partisan of Cromwell in 1650, Jefferys Costume Print, 1757

This is an original antique copper engraving from 1757, colored by hand, lettered "Habit of an Oliverian, an English Partisan, in 1650." A man in plain black stands facing the viewer, looking toward the viewer's left. He wears a broad brimmed black hat, and his hair, moustache and small beard are light brown. A white band collar with tasseled strings is the only relief at his neck. His doublet and full breeches are black, a dark cloak hangs behind him, and he holds a small book in one hand and a folded paper in the other. Brown stockings and black shoes with ties complete the dress.

The English title is engraved in script below the image: "Habit of an Oliverian, an English Partisan, in 1650." Beneath it, in smaller italic letters, is the French caption "Un Cromvelliste, ou Anglois Republicain, en 1650.", meaning "a Cromwellian, or English republican, in 1650". The plate number 224 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. An Oliverian is a supporter of Oliver Cromwell, and the plain black dress and band collar sum up the sober style of the Commonwealth years that followed the execution of Charles I in 1649.

The restrained palette makes a telling contrast with the colorful cavalier plates of 1640, and the two hang well together.

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