Habit of an English Gentlewoman in 1640

by Thomas Jefferys

In this beautiful plate, we can see a portrait of an English noblewoman from the time of King Charles I's rule, and her dress represents all the elegance associated with this period. While the silhouette of women from the time of Elizabeth I was hard and included hoops around the skirt, the dress shown in this plate is already moving in the direction of the Cavalier style with its softer contours, higher waist, and falling lace collar.

The rendering made by Jefferys in the middle of the 18th century is faithful to the textures of that time, including the heavy silk fabric of the dress and the needlework on the cuffs.