Description:
"A Lady in the Dress of the Year 1766." This plate was part of a ladies pocketbook or almanac, possibly The Lady's Magazine, a precursor of larger-format magazines aimed at female readership in the latter half of the 18th century. Pocket books were small, leather-bound books with pages for writing engagements, notations, but also containing published information on prices, songs, stories, etc. Each monthly issue contained 1-2 engravings, including those depicting fashionable dress. Dated depictions of fashion would appear in pocket books for the following year. Thus, this 1766 engraving likely appeared in a 1767 pocket book or almanac. Popular English pocket book titles included The Ladies Complete Pocket Book, published by John Newbery. It is likely this example is from that publication. In England, pocket books were published in London, Suffolk, and Canterbury. The depiction of the subject resembles portraiture of the period. Fashion engravings were circulated widely, and made their way to the colonies, where women could learn of dress styles, fabrics, and accessories, including trimmings.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2014.24 |
