by A Racinet
from Le Costume Historique

original chromolithograph

Racinet’s ‘Le Costume Historique’ is the most famous of the 19th-century books on dress, and the first fashion book to use colour lithography. It is a wide-ranging survey of costumes through time. Publication was made possible by significant developments in colour printing technology, and a resurgence of interest in ‘the other’ as a new period of European colonialism gathered pace from the mid-19th century. The emphasis here is on recognising continuity in traditional dress, rather than innovation in fashion, and linking costume to local history, custom and social organisation. Racinet was keen to produce a visually appealing book that deployed chromolithography to full effect; in his enthusiasm he sometimes toyed with authenticity by adding colour to some of his sources. His representations of Indian fashion are largely inspired by miniature paintings from the collection of French lithographer Firmin Didot.

by A Racinet
from Le Costume Historique

original chromolithograph

Racinet’s ‘Le Costume Historique’ is the most famous of the 19th-century books on dress, and the first fashion book to use colour lithography. It is a wide-ranging survey of costumes through time. Publication was made possible by significant developments in colour printing technology, and a resurgence of interest in ‘the other’ as a new period of European colonialism gathered pace from the mid-19th century. The emphasis here is on recognising continuity in traditional dress, rather than innovation in fashion, and linking costume to local history, custom and social organisation. Racinet was keen to produce a visually appealing book that deployed chromolithography to full effect; in his enthusiasm he sometimes toyed with authenticity by adding colour to some of his sources. His representations of Indian fashion are largely inspired by miniature paintings from the collection of French lithographer Firmin Didot.