Engelse vrouw van stand met hoed en brede plooikraag 1640 - 1707

Wenceslaus Hollar made this engraving of an English noblewoman wearing a hat and large collar sometime in the 17th century. Hollar was born in Prague, but as a printmaker, he lived and worked across Europe. Prints like this were Hollar’s bread and butter. In contrast to painting, printmaking was perfectly suited to capturing the details of fashion. The woman’s elaborate collar is a clear signifier of her elite status. Sumptuary laws had long regulated who could wear what in England. During the 17th century, these codes around fashion came under pressure, as new merchant classes challenged the old aristocratic order. Studying images like this helps us to understand the details of this historical moment. We can turn to sources like inventories of clothing to find out more about the economics of fashion, or to printed pamphlets where people debated its morality. This is how the historian brings images to life.