Power, History and Dress in Giacomo Franco’s Costume Plates (1610–1614)

If Cesare Vecellio aimed at giving an encyclopedic map of costume and dress around the world then known, Giacomo Franco turns his focus to Venice. In 1610, Franco (1550-1620), a Venetian engraver, chalcographer, printer and designer (desegnador) as he called himself in his will, published the first edition of his Habiti d’huomeni et donne venetiane, later to be reprinted along with La città di Venetia con l’origine e governo di quella and his third work, Habiti che già tempo usavano le donne vinetiane (reprinted in 1614).1