Ein Frantzoss/Fig:LXXVII/Francois

A coloured print of a man and woman, inscribed, Ein Frantzoss/Fig:LXXVII/Francois, from Description de l'Univers, 1683.

This book was written by Alain Manesson Mallet and consists of five volumes, all concerned with diverse information about both the ancient and the modern world. Alain Manesson Mallet (1630–1706) was a French cartographer and an engineer.

The man and woman are French. The man is wearing a doublet and petticoat breeches, both adorned with numerous silk ribbons, just like his hat and cuffs. He is also wearing a lace cravat with a silk ribbon around his neck. The feminine form of the petticoat breeches (they resembled a skirt) were often subject to satire. The woman is wearing a gown with a pointed and low-cut bodice, and a partlet or kerchief, in order to keep her appearance modest. The gown is pinned back showing her pink skirt, which she holds with one hand, showing off the blue underskirt. She has a blue veil over her hair and carries a fan.

British Museum Online Catalogue, Alain Manesson Mallet.

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.