Mysterious Creatures Wood Prints, a Witchy Wednesday article.
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| The Sea Monk by François Desprez 1562 |
The World's First Costume Book: François Desprez's Collection of Various Clothing Styles (1562)
These woodcuts by François Desprez come from 1562’s Recueil de la diversité des habits (whose full title translates as “a collection of the various styles of clothing presently worn in the countries of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the savage isles”), published in Paris and sometimes cited as the world’s first costume book. As Europeans encountered and conquered new worlds during the Age of Exploration, they not only took an interest in novel geography, biological specimens, and exportable resources but also in the customs and dress of unfamiliar peoples. Desprez’s 121 engravings illustrate garbs found the world over, accompanied by anonymous quatrains describing the sartorial behavior of Desprez’s subjects.
Taken from Public Domain Review please visit this link for the full detailed article.
https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/recueil-de-la-diversite-des-habits/
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| The Cyclops by François Desprez 1562 |
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| The Sea Bishop François Desprez 1562 |







