Plate No. 8 by Anonymous artist

Plate No. 8 by Anonymous artist

C. 1879

Lithograph

Showcasing the opulent outerwear of late 19th-century elite society, this monochrome commercial fashion plate highlights an array of cold-weather luxury garments. Commissioned by the venerable New York firm C. G. Gunther’s Sons, Furriers, then located at 184 Fifth Avenue, this print is explicitly labeled as Plate No. 3 from the Series of 1887-88. The illustration captures three women strolling in a park setting, framed by carriages and a horse-drawn sleigh in the distant snow. The composition serves as a high-end seasonal catalog, illustrating three distinct cuts of heavy fur and plush velvet Gilded Age winter outerwear. The figure on the left stands in a tightly fitted, embroidered plush walking jacket paired with an asymmetric draped walking skirt. The central figure models a stately, floor-length velvet paletot coat accented by a high collar and a matching fur muff, while holding an umbrella. The figure on the right displays a heavy, fur-trimmed mantle wrap adorned with intricate soutache braiding along the structured bustle skirt hem.

Commercial plates engineered by luxury firms like C. G. Gunther’s Sons offer a fascinating glimpse into the consumer habits and class signaling of New York's late Victorian elite. Established in 1820, Gunther’s was one of Manhattan’s oldest and most prestigious fur empires, catering directly to high-society families from their upscale Fifth Avenue showroom near Madison Square. Rather than relying solely on traditional text advertisements, premier furriers produced these highly detailed seasonal plates to illustrate how luxury materials translated into the extreme, shelf-like bustle silhouettes popular in the late 1880s. This lithograph holds significant historical importance as a primary document of late 19th-century American manufacturing and retail marketing infrastructure. It captures the precise material culture of Gilded Age New York while standing as a testament to the sophisticated evolution of corporate branding, fashion journalism, and targeted luxury advertising in the post-Civil War era.

Dimensions: H 9 ¼” x 13” W

Condition: In very good condition