Costume of the ladies of England

Collection History

These books, along with some extracted plates, feature in the NYPL exhibition "Decoration in the Age of Napoleon: Empire Elegance Versus Regency Refinement," Edna Barnes Salomon Gallery, September 3, 2004 - April 2, 2005. Many of these volumes come from the Astor and Lenox Library collections and from the private library of the architect Thomas Hastings, of the partnership Carrere and Hastings, responsible for the Library's landmark building on Fifth Avenue.

Background

Out of the formal Neoclassicism that pervaded late eighteenth-century European building and decoration were born two distinct movements, now known as the Empire Style and the Regency Style. The origins of these styles were deeply political and social in nature. Napoleon I, self-styled Emperor of the French, assumed the throne in 1804, and immediately launched an ambitious art and design program that lasted until the end of his reign in 1815. The Empire Style spread across Europe, particularly to those countries that fell under the rule of France. Napoleon's rival for influence on the arts was George, Prince of Wales, and Prince Regent from 1811-1820, and finally, King George IV of England. The Regency period has been variously dated, but it generally begins in 1783 and ends by 1837. Both the Empire and Regency Styles continue today as popular period revival modes.

Related Resources

NYPL. "The Empire and Regency Styles," by Paula Baxter. (2004) <http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/artarc/empire/>

Collection Data

Dates / Origin
Date Created: 1810 - 1823 (Approximate)
Library locations
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection
Shelf locator: MMA (Costume of the ladies of England)
Topics
Costume -- England -- History -- 17th century
Women's clothing -- England -- History -- 17th century
Fashion -- England
Genres
Drawings
Illustrations
Notes
Acquisition: Samuel P. Avery, Esq., February 14, 1945.
Statement of responsibility: Original watercolor illustrations mounted and bound by the New York Public Library.
Physical Description
Extent: 2 v. : chiefly col. ill. ; 23 cm.
Watercolors
Type of Resource
Still image
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b16187099
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): e49e6a90-c6c8-012f-aa58-58d385a7bc34
Show filters Hide filters
120 results found