Habit of a Merchant's Wife of London in 1640

by Thomas Jefferys

The engraving made by Wenceslaus Hollar in 1640 and subsequently reprinted by Thomas Jefferys in the 18th century provides an authoritative account of the English middle-class fashion of the mid-17th century.

The captivating illustration presents the refined attire of a member of the merchant class in London on the verge of the English Civil War period. Instead of the elaborate lacework of the upper classes, the wife of the merchant is shown dressed in a high-waist gown, wearing a fine linen ruff, and wearing the characteristic steeple hat, which epitomized the "dignified yet elegant" style of the 1640s.