Early Costume and Fashion Plates
Costume plates are based on the fashions of the past. Fashion Plates are based on the fashions of the possible future. White both are similar, they are both also very different. Costume plates almost always include national, theatrical, court and royal dress. Fashion plates can be traced back to as far as the 16th century and reached their peak in the 19th century.
In 1778, Jacques Esnauts and Michel Rapilly of Paris joined forces and created their issue, 'La Gallerie des Modes', a publication of coloured Fashion plates. Between 1778 and 1787, they both issued 342 figure plates and 73 hat plates.
Heideloff' drawing
The first Fashion plate begun in England and it was called, The Lady;s Magazine in 1770. A range of other magazines such as, Cabinet des Modes 1785-89 and Journal de la Modeet du Gout 1790-93 also ran in this era.
La Belle Assemble was another very important and influenecial magazine that ran for 63 years. It contained hand colour fashion plates aswell as sheet music and articles of general interest so it had a wider range of information for a larger target audience.
La Belle Assemblee
Nicolaus Wilhelm von Heideloff created the 'Gallery of Fashion' and promised that it feature accurate styles worn by ladies of rank and fashion. Each issure he released containes two hand coloured drawings finished with gold and silver paints. In total, he issued 217 Georgian fashion plates between 1794 and 1803.
