Habit of a Citizen's Wife of Bologna in 1768

by Thomas Jefferys

This remarkable copperplate engraving comes from the important book A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations, Ancient and Modern, authored by Thomas Jefferys. This particular plate portrays the social identity and dress of a middle-class woman in Bologna, Italy, from the mid-eighteenth century.

In 1768, Bologna was one of the most vibrant centers in the Papal States. The “Citizen’s Wife” portrayed a member of the growing middle class of merchants and professionals, who were wealthy but governed by a code of conduct different from that of the nobility.