Twee vrouwen in Friese en Groningse klederdracht 1802 - 1855

Carl Cristiaan Fuchs made this print of two women in traditional dress sometime before 1855, using etching and possibly engraving. It’s interesting to consider the labor involved in both the making of the image, and the making of the clothing it represents. The print’s fine lines suggest the careful work of an etcher, someone skilled in translating observation into a repeatable image. But think, too, about the dresses and bonnets on display. These would have been painstakingly produced by hand, stitch by stitch; cloth spun, dyed, and woven. This wasn’t just a matter of personal expression. In previous centuries, sumptuary laws often dictated who could wear what, according to their social standing. Though those laws were disappearing by the 19th century, clothing continued to speak volumes about regional identity and status.