Ein Antwerpsche Leffraw oder Vornehme Burgerin, wan sie zu haus ist

Figure of a woman, inscribed, Ein Antwerpsche Leffraw/ oder Vornehme/ Burgerin, wan sie/ zu haus ist, (An Antwerp damsel or genteel citizen at home)/ Mulier primaria Antuerpiensis, in ornatu domestica (A gentlewoman from Antwerp, in domestic attire)/ W Hollar fecit, by W Hollar, Theatrum Mulierum (Theater of the Gentlewoman),/ sive,/ Varietas etc, 1643. Theatrum Mulierum was a descriptive book of 36 etchings. The prints show different kinds of female fashion throughout Europe.

The woman is wearing a dark gown that has been looped up in order to be able to walk more easily. It also reveals her decorated underskirt. Her bodice is low-cut, but in order to keep her appearance modest she is wearing a partlet, a garment made from linen that would cover her bust. Over this she is wearing a kerchief, a broad linen collar that was shaped like a handkerchief. She is holding a fan and is wearing a hat trimmed with a large feather on top of her linen cap.

The maker of this print is Wenceslaus Hollar (1607 – 1677), a draughtsman and etcher from Prague. Mainly active in Germany, he visited the Netherlands in 1634 and joined the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel in 1636. The earl brought the artist to London where he focused mainly on book-illustration and cartography. He joined Lord Henry Howard in his expedition to Tangiers, but afterwards continued his work as an illustrator. He died in London in reduced circumstances.

Other copies of this print are in British Museum Online Catalogue, reference number 1868,0612.260.

Further reading
Colas, R., Bibliographie Générale du Costume et de la Mode. Description des suites, recueils, séries, revues et livres Français et étrangers relatifs au costume civil, militaire et religieux, aux modes, aux coiffures et aux divers accessoires de l’habillement, avec une table méthodique et un index alphabétique, Paris 1933, entry 1465; 1466; 1467.

Reynolds, A., In fine Style. The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, London 2013.

Ribeiro, A., Fashion and Fiction. Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England, London 2005.