Weduwe uit Rome 1598

Christoph Krieger made this engraving, “Widow from Rome”, as an illustration in a book. Published in the early modern period, images like this one served as a kind of proto-fashion photography, recording and codifying cultural norms, including appropriate dress. Fashion, then as now, was never just about personal style, but was tied up with moral conduct and social status. This image presents the widow as a clearly defined social type, with her own set of behaviors and expectations. Engravings like this also tell us about the development of the book trade and the rise of print culture, with its role in creating a public sphere and circulating ideas. As art historians, we can learn more about this image by looking into sumptuary laws, conduct manuals, and even visual sources such as paintings and costume books. These resources reveal the complex social and institutional contexts that give meaning to this kind of image.