Morning Habit of a Grecian Lady in 1700

by Thomas Jefferys

This splendid plate, designed by the renowned geographer and engraver Thomas Jefferys, provides insight into the elegant gracefulness of the Levant in the middle of the 18th century. Not only a fashionable dress plate, this illustration of a Grecian Lady in her "Morning Habit" acts as a cultural link between the hard lines of the Western European silhouette and the soft drapes of the Greek islands at the height of the Ottoman Empire.

Jefferys' attention to detail shows through in the layers of the dress—the fabric was probably a thin silk or muslin shirt worn beneath a robe-like cover garment. As a society, they valued practicality and prestige, and these garments reflect those values well. The stance and clothing of this lady represent a classic style revival—a motif that was popular with the Grand Tourers of the 1700s.