Modes Berlinoises. 1795

Raphaël Jacquemin prints trace fifteen centuries of dress, from Roman emperors and Norman warriors to Renaissance duchesses, janissaries, Louis XIV and the officers of Napoleon. Jacquemin was a French painter and etcher whose great work was a methodical history of costume from the 4th to the 19th century. Our collection of fine art prints includes its hand-coloured plates, each copied from a painting, sculpture, manuscript or print of the period.

About Raphaël Jacquemin

Raphaël Jacquemin was born in Paris on 24 April 1821, the son of Aaron Joseph Jacquemin and Victorine de Cologna, and the grandson of the rabbi Abraham Vita de Cologna. He studied under the painter Mondain.

He made his debut at the Salon of 1861 with three etchings of 16th- and 17th-century costume based on documents of the time, and in 1863 showed a painting of King Victor Emmanuel in the uniform of a Zouave.

His major work was the Iconographie générale et méthodique du costume du IVe au XIXe siècle (315–1815), a survey of historical dress made in etching. Jacquemin never married, and he died in a Paris hospital on 6 December 1881, aged 60.

Style and Subjects

Each plate shows one or more full-length figures in the dress of a particular time and place, carefully copied from a named source: a painting by Leonardo or Piero della Francesca, a medieval manuscript, a carved ivory, the Bayeux embroidery or a print of the period. The captions, in French, give the person, the date and the source.

The etched lines are fine and precise, and the hand colouring is soft and clear, so that fabrics, armour, jewels and hairstyles can be studied in detail. Together they read like a museum of costume on paper.

Famous Works

• Norman Warriors of William the Conqueror, 1066, after the Bayeux embroidery. Knights of the Conquest copied from the famous embroidered hanging.
• Beatrice d'Este-Sforza, Duchess of Milan, 1490. After a portrait then attributed to Leonardo in the Ambrosiana, Milan.
• Battista Sforza, Duchess of Urbino, 1470. After Piero della Francesca's portrait in the Uffizi, Florence.
• Henry II, King of France, 1550–59. After a painting then given to Jean Clouet.
• Louis XIV, King of France, 1649. The young king, after an engraving of the time.
• Sultanas of Turkey, 16th century. After the artist Melchior Lorck.
• Hairstyles of 1790. Revolutionary-era coiffures, after prints of the day.

Decorating with Jacquemin Prints

Jacquemin's costume plates suit a dressing room, bedroom or walk-in closet, and they make a natural choice for a sewing room, theatre lover's study or history buff's library. Group them by century, or mix kings, queens and soldiers for a colourful gallery.

The military plates, with janissaries, grenadiers and Napoleonic officers, look smart in a study or den. Thin gold or black frames with a cream mat suit the soft hand colouring.

FAQ

Who was Raphaël Jacquemin?

Raphaël Jacquemin (1821–1881) was a French painter and etcher from Paris, best known for his illustrated history of costume.

What is the Iconographie du costume?

His Iconographie générale et méthodique du costume du IVe au XIXe siècle, a survey in etchings of dress from the year 315 to 1815.

Where do the costumes in his plates come from?

Each one is copied from a source of the period, such as a painting, a manuscript, a sculpture or an engraving, which the caption names.

When did Jacquemin first exhibit?

At the Paris Salon of 1861, with three etchings of 16th- and 17th-century costume.

Are the plates useful for costume designers?

Yes. Because each figure follows a named historical source, the plates are still a handy reference for dress, armour, hairstyles and accessories.

Related Artists

• Auguste Racinet: author of the great French history of costume, Le Costume historique
• Albert Kretschmer: German illustrator of historical costume
• Paul Louis de Giafferri: 1920s illustrator of a world history of women's dress