Rudolph Ackermann

September 24, 2007 by Vic

Jane Austen fans know Rudolph Ackerman’s name through the exquisite hand colored illustrations and fashion plates that populate Regency blogs, websites, illustrated histories, and publications. A German who arrived in England in the late 18th century, Rudolph set up a print shop in the Strand, London in 1795, and began publishing The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashion and Politics in 1809. Before his death in 1834 he had published an astonishing 300 books.
Learn more about Mr. Ackermann from Margaret Culbertson from the Museum of Fine Arts Houston in Engines of Our Ingenuity. You can read the text or listen.

View of Oxford

Portrait of Rudolph Ackermann at the National Portrait Gallery, UK

Ackermann’s Universities

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Posted in Fashions, jane austen | Tagged Ackermann | 7 Comments

7 Responses

on September 27, 2007 at 20:55 Kathleen B.

What year is the fashion plate from? I would dearly like to know.
on September 28, 2007 at 16:09 Ms. Place

According to Kathy Hammel, this fashion plate is dated 1817.

http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/ACKERMAN.HTM
on February 12, 2008 at 22:26 Mandy N

I would be interested to know if the 1817 fashion plate could be considered a mourning dress plate ?
Thanks.
on February 12, 2008 at 22:36 Ms. Place

Hi Mandy,

The bare arms do not indicate this, but this might be a half mourning dress. Here is a link to mourning dresses: http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/dress/eve3.html

After you enter the page, click on ‘mourning dresses’ at the bottom of the page
on September 13, 2008 at 06:34 Mandy N

Hi Miss Place,

Please excuse my taking so long; I couldn’t find the page; dear me ! Glad to have found you.
Yes, good point on her bare arms; it maybe ‘Half-mourning’ as you suggest.
I’ve just recalled in 1817 Princess Charlotte died-I don’t know if this plate is a sort of commeration with national mourning.
Actually, in contrast to mourning plates on the link ; Ackermann’s Dec, 1810 Mourning Evening Dress shows a seated veiled figure in black shot-sleeved dress, long white gloves beside a large urn.
Thanks for link; these Regency mouning plates are beautiful.
I’ve enjoyed reading occasional text descriptions of plates on this lovely site. :)
on April 1, 2011 at 06:13 Meet your ancestors, at the National Portrait Gallery? « Doug's Odd Box

[...] Jane Austen’s World has this to say of my great, great, great, great, great grandfather: [...]
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