Morning Habit of a Lady of Quality in Barbary in 1700

by Thomas Jefferys

Step inside the chambers of the wealthy ladies of the Maghreb region in the eighteenth century. The magnificent image created by the famous cartographer and engraver Thomas Jefferys is much more than a simple fashion plate—it serves as an ethnographic view into the Barbary States.

"The Lady of Quality" is pictured at her morning costume stage, presenting the elaborate dressing process involving silk fabric, needlework, and jewelry typical of high-born ladies living in places such as Algiers, Tunis, or Tripoli. The reputation of Jefferys' engravings was made due to the great attention paid to fabrics—the grace of the flowing haick and the sophistication of the hat can be seen in all their glory. In contrast to the stereotypical "Orientalist" drawings of the nineteenth century, the eighteenth-century copperplate engraving represents the observational approach of the Enlightenment period.