New Books Network Elizabeth Currie, "Street Style: Art and Dress in the Time of Caravaggio" (Reaktion, 2025)
Nov 2, 2025
Dr. Elizabeth Currie, a historian specializing in early modern Italian textiles, delves into the vibrant street life of late 16th-century Rome. She discusses how artists like Caravaggio embraced everyday figures, exploring the social implications of their dress. Currie reveals the influences of sumptuary laws and the role of soldiers as fashion icons. The portrayal of Romani women and the regulatory visibility of sex workers' attire shine a light on societal norms. The conversation uncovers how art preserved the voices and struggles of marginalized communities.
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Dress Reveals Hidden Lives
- Clothing of poor people offers a durable route into their lives because most owned at least the garments on their back.
- Elizabeth Currie uses dress as a lens to recover daily experiences of marginalized early modern Italians.
From Elite Tailoring To Street Dress
- Currie shifted from studying Medici elite menswear to focusing on soldiers and street dress after noticing military influence upward onto elites.
- That curiosity led her to trace how street clothing traveled into noble fashion and art.
Use Mixed Sources Carefully
- Paintings, prints, sumptuary laws, inventories and trials form a composite evidence base for street dress.
- Currie warns images can't be taken at face value and must be read alongside archival records.
