Habit of a Spanish Gentleman of Montevideo in South America in 1764

by Thomas Jefferys

This thought-provoking 18th-century plate illustrates the elegant yet functional clothing of a prominent Spanish colonist residing in Montevideo. During this period, when Montevideo was an important military base, the "Spanish Gentleman" wears a combination of the Continental style, marked by the formal coat and hat, along with the needs of life in South America.

Thomas Jefferys, geographer to King George III, carefully noted these ethnographic facts, providing evidence of the spread of Spanish culture to the new lands. The plate provides essential information about Hispanic-Creole identity at the very point in history when reforms and revolutions were about to take place.