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The Antique Fashion Print Antique Fashion Prints can be very decorative as well as having historical context, so it comes as no surprise that they are much sought after by both decorators and interior designers. They have a stylish feminine feel about them, generally they are hung in pairs or sets for the best effect. They should be framed simply, generally fashion prints have lots of detail and the original hand coloring tends to be quite subtle, thus heavy frames can be overwhelming, I'd use plain gold or a simple wood with a washed finish, perhaps picking out a color from the dress or hat. Of course you can place antique fashion prints anywhere but they are especially suited to bedrooms, dressing rooms (lucky you, if you have a whole room for dressing!!) and reception rooms where a soft, female feel is desired. Although of course there has always been an interest in fashion, engravings depicting the fashions of the day were not produced with any regularity until the 1790's. What is thought of as the traditional antique fashion print, is a line engraved image with one or more female figures modelling outfits of the day - dressses, shoes and hats. These would most likely have been hand colored at the time of publication by specialist workers, who sat hunched all day over a table with their watercolors - coloring copies of the the same picture over and over again ... such was life in the printers workshops before mechanised coloring was both invented and affordable. * A wide selection of genuine antique fashion prints with original hand color, dating from 1790 through to 1890 and beyond, can be found by clicking here * The coloring does tend to be somewhat naive, this I believe adds considerably to the charm of the prints - it certainly tends to give them a somewhat unique look which is highly recognisable and indeed we are all familiar with... The bane of the antique print dealer's life is the repro merchant! In this case there is no contest, the beauty of hand coloring is such that modern printing methods do not come close to the subtlety of color found in the original.Which means that there will certainly be a taste for the real thing for as long as people are interested in fashion ... and frankly I don't see that interest waning any time soon - or ever!! Fashion Prints were produced in this way for around one hundred years, ladies would have used the pictures as a guide when making their own dresses, so as to be, as up to date in style as possible - in those days middle class ladies had both the skill and the time to do this. Of course if they were rich enough their provincial dress makers would do it for them ... and if they were very rich indeed, they would be getting them made up in Paris in the first place and would have no need of these pictures!! Styles change throughout the period, as ever with fashion! So there is some choice, although these were the times of ankle or floor length dresses, so don't expect to see any mini-skirts, but do expect to see plenty of silks, lace trimmings, bonnets and sometimes amazingly huge hats!! Georgian Fashion Prints will be more expensive than Victorian ones because they are both older and rarer. But generally antique fashion prints from this period can be found at an affordable price Condition should be generally good ... meaning some signs of ageing and the odd spot of foxing is normal and to be expected. The Antique Fashion Print was written by Antique Print Expert - Jeremy Sewell this article is © J. Sewell	Add to Favorites

The Antique Fashion Print

Antique Fashion Prints can be very decorative as well as having historical context, so it comes as no surprise that they are much sought after by both decorators and interior designers. They have a stylish feminine feel about them, generally they are hung in pairs or sets for the best effect.

They should be framed simply, generally fashion prints have lots of detail and the original hand coloring tends to be quite subtle, thus heavy frames can be overwhelming, I'd use plain gold or a simple wood with a washed finish, perhaps picking out a color from the dress or hat.

Of course you can place antique fashion prints anywhere but they are especially suited to bedrooms, dressing rooms (lucky you, if you have a whole room for dressing!!) and reception rooms where a soft, female feel is desired.

Although of course there has always been an interest in fashion, engravings depicting the fashions of the day were not produced with any regularity until the 1790's.

What is thought of as the traditional antique fashion print, is a line engraved image with one or more female figures modelling outfits of the day - dressses, shoes and hats. These would most likely have been hand colored at the time of publication by specialist workers, who sat hunched all day over a table with their watercolors - coloring copies of the the same picture over and over again ... such was life in the printers workshops before mechanised coloring was both invented and affordable.

* A wide selection of genuine antique fashion prints with original hand color, dating from 1790 through to 1890 and beyond, can be found by clicking here *

The coloring does tend to be somewhat naive, this I believe adds considerably to the charm of the prints - it certainly tends to give them a somewhat unique look which is highly recognisable and indeed we are all familiar with...

The bane of the antique print dealer's life is the repro merchant! In this case there is no contest, the beauty of hand coloring is such that modern printing methods do not come close to the subtlety of color found in the original.Which means that there will certainly be a taste for the real thing for as long as people are interested in fashion ... and frankly I don't see that interest waning any time soon - or ever!!

Fashion Prints were produced in this way for around one hundred years, ladies would have used the pictures as a guide when making their own dresses, so as to be, as up to date in style as possible - in those days middle class ladies had both the skill and the time to do this. Of course if they were rich enough their provincial dress makers would do it for them ... and if they were very rich indeed, they would be getting them made up in Paris in the first place and would have no need of these pictures!!

Styles change throughout the period, as ever with fashion! So there is some choice, although these were the times of ankle or floor length dresses, so don't expect to see any mini-skirts, but do expect to see plenty of silks, lace trimmings, bonnets and sometimes amazingly huge hats!!

Georgian Fashion Prints will be more expensive than Victorian ones because they are both older and rarer. But generally antique fashion prints from this period can be found at an affordable price

Condition should be generally good ... meaning some signs of ageing and the odd spot of foxing is normal and to be expected.