New York Monthly by Anonymous American artist

New York Monthly by Anonymous American artist

C. 1870

Lithograph

This 1870 fashion plate lithograph, titled "The New York Monthly," depicts six stylishly dressed figures showcasing the pinnacle of upscale Gilded Age tailored menswear. Published by S.B. West at 55 Union Square, New York, the black and white print is precisely dated December 1870. The finely detailed scene highlights structural tailoring variations of the era, focusing on five men and one youth. It features heavily structured frock coats, double-breasted overcoats with contrasting velvet collars, checkered or striped formal trousers, and classic silk top hats. The composition utilizes multi-directional views, displaying the garments from the front, profile, and back to serve as a complete reference for tailors and high-society clients. The lithograph itself was executed by the prominent commercial print firm The Major & Knapp Engraving, Mfg. & Lithographing Co., whose small signature imprint rests just beneath the image border.

Fashion plates such as this one were an important form of visual communication in the rapidly expanding fashion and garment industries of the late nineteenth century. Published in specialized fashion and tailoring journals, they provided retailers, tailors, manufacturers, and consumers with a visual record of current styles while simultaneously promoting the commercial possibilities of new garments and textiles. The West Publishing Co. was associated with the Journal of Fashion & Tailoring, which catered to New York's growing fashion and clothing trades. The plate is particularly valuable as a document of Gilded Age New York, capturing the silhouettes, textiles, tailoring, and social conventions of dress at a moment when New York was emerging as a major center of American fashion and commerce. As both a fashion document and an example of nineteenth-century commercial lithography, it offers designers and collectors an unusually rich glimpse into the visual language of American fashion in the 1890s. 

Dimensions: H 11 ⅛”  x 15” W

Condition: A few punctures on the left side, some foxing