Fashion Plates from Histoire du costume de l'antiquité à 1914

Histoire du costume de l'antiquité à 1914 is a series of illustrated volumes on the history of European costumes from antiquity to 1914, authored and illustrated by Maurice Leloir (1853-1940), with preface by Henri Lavedan (1859-1940). From 1933 to 1949, volumes 8-12 were published in Paris by Ernst Henri with the patronage of the Société de l'histoire du costume (Society for the History of Costume). Leloir was an accomplished illustrator, painter, writer, and collector of historical garments and accessories. In 1907, he became one of the founders for the society in order to promote the construction, education, and preservation of historical dress. By 1920, Lenoir had donated a large collection of 18th century costumes to the City of Paris' Carnavalet Museum, that was later accessioned in 1955 by what would become the Palais Galliera several years after Leloirs death in 1940 and the Society for the History of Costume's dissolution in 1954. The 15 digitized plates in this collection primarily feature aristocratic French fashion during the 17th and 18th century, from Louis XII to Louis XVI's reign. Histoire du costume de l'antiquité à 1914, v. 8-12, are available to view in the Special Collections & Archives reading room upon request. The 5 volumes in the series provide a history of the materials and construction of garments from 1610 to 1795. They are fully illustrated, containing fashion plates from across Europe with translated descriptions in English, German, Italian and Spanish.