Regional Dress of Iberia, 1572

Regional Dress of Iberia and Neighboring Regions, 1572

What did people wear in different regions of the Iberian Peninsula in the late 16th century?

This remarkable costume album takes us from Portugal and Castile to Navarre, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Granada, as well as neighboring regions of present-day France.
The illustrations reveal an extraordinary variety of clothing, especially elaborate headdresses. Merchants, peasants, bourgeois women, young ladies, elderly women, a midwife, and Moriscos of Granada appear side by side, offering a fascinating glimpse into regional and social differences.
The original French captions have been preserved. Some place names remain difficult to identify, and the illustrations should be viewed as historical representations rather than exact documentary records.

Source: Anciens costumes coloriés, dated 1572 in the BnF catalogue. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Collection Roger de Gaignières.