Fashion and costume — engravings

Depictions of people from different countries in their traditional costumes emerged as a genre in the second half of the 16th century and actively existed in the form of prints until the appearance of the first fashion magazines at the end of the 18th century . The art of costume engraving reached its greatest development in Germany, the Netherlands, England, and France, where artists and engravers created a unique visual chronicle of the clothing of their time .

In the 17th century, a special direction emerged that researchers call "engraving of fashions and manners" . In the works of masters such as Wenceslaus Hollar, Jacques Callot, and Abraham Bosse, characters are presented in specific actions or engaging situations, with particular attention paid to the detailed and meticulous rendering of the hero's costume and accessories . It was during this period that engraving began not merely to document clothing but to tell a story of which the costume was a part.

The flourishing of fashion engraving in late 17th-century France is associated with a group of engravers and publishers from the Parisian Rue Saint-Jacques. They created a large number of prints that depicted in detail not only costumes and hairstyles but also the very atmosphere of the gallant age . Unlike later fashion magazines with their emphasis on novelty, each such engraving added to the existing picture of fashion, making it increasingly complex and refined. 

The pinnacle of the genre was the famous French series "Gallerie des modes et des costumes français" (1778–1787), which included images not only of various costumes and hairstyles but also of everyday scenes . This ouvrage, which involved working from life and covered a wide range of themes, became an invaluable source on the French 18th century and inspired artists of subsequent generations, including masters of the Russian Silver Age.

Collecting engravings depicting costumes offers a unique opportunity to see how fashion was born, how it became increasingly sophisticated over the centuries, and how the silhouettes, styles, and decorative elements of bygone attire are continually revived in contemporary trends.