The combination of hand-coloring and the limited number of plates being produced meant that these fashion plates were costly and were typically reserved for members of the aristocracy and the wealthy bourgeoisie class.īy the 1820s, steel engraving plates replaced copper since it was a stronger metal that could produce more plates, thereby increasing accessibility. The malleability of copper meant that these plates could only produce a limited amount of images. With less textual information, “a single figure, or small grouping of figures framed within a thinly lined rectangular border, with accompanying text appearing at the header and footer, was an enduring formula for fashion plates that would persist, unchanged, for two centuries.” In the eighteenth century, fashion plates were produced by using copper engraving plates, which would later be hand-colored. Habit d'Hyver (1678), The Victoria and Albert Museum, Gift of Antony Griffiths and Judy Rudoeīy the late eighteenth century, these images evolved into the style of fashion plates we recognize today. Images of clothing existed earlier, but their function was to provide information on “various forms of national, regional, military, theatrical, or court attire,” and not necessarily the current fashions worn by the elite class of Paris. This journal featured images of both men and women in the latest styles, information on where the depicted styles could be bought, and detailed descriptions of the current trends. The first fashion plate can be traced back as early as 1678 in the journal, Mercure Galant.
Those who made these illustrations used copper and steel engravings, hence the name “fashion plate.”
#SKETCH FASHION PLATES HOW TO#
Even after the advent of photography in the 1830s, fashion plates disseminated the most current fashion trends and provided a reference that instructed their dressmaker how to construct or alter a garment in the latest style. Women, 1790 – 1799, Plate 002, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Woodman ThompsonĬreated by the French, fashion plates are images depicting women, and sometimes men, dressed in the latest styles and trends. So, what are fashion plates? And why are they called plates instead of prints? Later fashion plates have an amazing use of color and line that make the fashion trends of the early twentieth century into fantastical creations that are works of art in themselves. Earlier fashion plates give the most up to date look into the styles of the past from the point of view from the people who were living during that time. As someone who has an interest in fashion history and a background in the arts, the combination of fashion and art fascinated me. In the last couple of years, I personally began collecting fashion plates. Emily McCort, 2019 Summer Fashion Archives Intern
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