Costume

In the mid 17th century a man named Wenceslaus Hollar published a series of engravings on the costume of women during this time. These engravings now serve as a historical tool for understanding the dress of the people during the 17th century. If a director decided to do a production of Much Ado About Nothing in the correct time period as it was originally produced, these engravings would be a valuable research.

The engravings show the women's dress of the time to be bell-like dresses with sleeves and over coats. The dresses are not low cut and do not reveal too much. Also, the hair if always up with curls and sometimes decorated with ribbon and flowers.













These engravings also show the women with props. Some have small fans which would have been very popular during this time. Others have fur on their clothing and matching fur muffs that would have been used during the winter time against the cold.






Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Women's Fashions of the 17th Century - Hollar Engravings - Page 10." Women's History - Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/fashionancmed/ig/Women-s-Fashions-17th-Century/Hollar-Drawing-10.htm>.