Corona delle Nobili et Virtuose Donne: Libro I-IV, page 58 (recto) 1601

This is page 58 from Cesare Vecellio’s “Corona delle Nobili et Virtuose Donne,” printed in Venice in the late 16th century using movable type. The printing press was among the earliest technologies of mass production. Its standardization of letterforms and images transformed European society. Look closely, and you can see how each letter was individually set, line by line, to create the page. The black ink is slightly raised, a testament to the pressure exerted by the press. The book’s very existence speaks to social stratification, being a pattern book for lace aimed at noblewomen. Lace was a luxury product, often worn as a signifier of status and wealth. This book, however, allowed women to create lace, challenging traditional notions of labor and class. Consider the labor involved in producing a printed page like this, from the making of paper and ink, to the setting of type, to the distribution of the book itself. Even within an apparently simple object like this, we can see the complexities of early capitalism at play.