The costumes of the Grand Duchy

The first lithographic print was produced by Alois Senefelder in London in 1801. Two years later, in 1803, the process which was to revolutionise the art of printing arrived in Paris, which is where it developed and spread most.
The twenty-five lithographs that follow form part of an important collection of civilian and military costumes from the different provinces of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, which were published in two series in Paris around about 1826. The original drawings were by the Florentine artist Pieraccini.
This collection, which can also be viewed as a rare historical document, was particularly admired both for the originality of the subjects and the precision of the lithographic technique.
Some of the originals are conserved in collections in the National Library in Firenze and the Perlini Collection in Arezzo.