Habit of Mary Queen of Scots in 1570

by Thomas Jefferys

This print represents a rare example of an eighteenth century recreation of one of history’s most tragic yet fashionable ladies. Commissioned as part of the esteemed four-volume collection titled A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations (1757-1772), Thomas Jefferys employed the earlier work of such masters as Hans Holbein and Wenzel Hollar to depict the “Habit” of the Scottish Queen while she was at the peak of her captivity.

This elegant copperplate engraving portrays Mary Stuart as she looked in the year 1570, immediately following her escape from Scotland and her subsequent years of imprisonment.

This print elegantly portrays Mary Stuart’s famous “heart-shaped cap,” or Mary Stuart Cap, along with her ruffed neck and her heavy fur-lined mantle, which denotes her unyielding sovereignty.