Mulier Pragensis 1643 - 1644

This engraving of a Prague woman, titled Mulier Pragensis, was made in 1643 by Wenceslaus Hollar. Hollar was a prolific and widely travelled printmaker, and this work is part of a series documenting the diverse costumes of European women. Engravings like this served a clear social function. They provided a visual catalogue of social identities for a growing urban class, a way to understand and classify the people one might encounter in the city. Note the emphasis on details of dress: the elaborate ruff, the cut of the gown, the broad-brimmed hat. These details are carefully rendered to indicate social status and regional identity. To fully understand this image, we would need to look at fashion plates and conduct extensive archival research into sumptuary laws and other regulations governing dress in 17th century Prague. Only then can we properly understand how Hollar’s image participates in the social construction of identity.