Art Historian Jeff Nigro presents “Estimating Lace & Muslin: Fashion in Jane Austen's World” January 22

Art Historian Jeff Nigro will present “Estimating Lace & Muslin: Fashion in Jane Austen's World” on Sunday, January 22 at 2 pm at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street. Using an illustrated presentation, Jeff Nigro, art historian, lecturer, and educator, will look at the development of both British and French fashion during Austen’s era. This free program is cosponsored by the Community Associates of the Art Institute of Chicago in Oak Park & River Forest.

Jane Austen’s lifetime saw some of the most radical changes in fashions and styles in history. At the time of her birth in 1775, fashionable men were wearing elaborately embroidered colored silks, lace, and wigs. Elegant ladies wore lavishly decorated hoop skirts and tall, powdered coiffures adorned with ribbons and plumes.

By the time of Austen’s death in 1817, men had adopted a more austere style of clothing that is the ancestor of the modern suit and women were wearing relatively simple, high-waisted gowns, bonnets, and shawls.

Join us for Jeff Nigro’s lecture on the ever-popular Jane Austen and the fashions of her time. Nigro is an independent art historian, who has had a professional relationship with the Art Institute of Chicago for over 20 years as a staff lecturer and then as Director of Adult Programs. He has led Art Institute sponsored trips to Italy, Greece and Germany.

Find more about what's happening at the Oak Park Public Library at oppl.org/events/calendar.