The art of dress cover

The art of dress

by Aileen Ribeiro

Dress is the most fleeting of the arts, subject to the arbitrary dictates of fashion. It is also, however, the art that relates most closely to our lives, both as a reflection of our self-image and, in the words of Louis XIV, as 'the mirror of history'. This handsome book examines English and French fashion from 1750 to 1820 by studying the art of the period, and it shows how changes in dress reflected social, political and cultural developments in the two countries. Closely analysing a wide range of visual sources - including portraits and history painting, sculpture, drawings, caricatures and fashion plates, by such artists as Reynolds, Gainsborough, Lawrence, David and Ingres - Aileen Ribeiro describes the development of fashion during this period.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?