The Frick Collection is stepping into the world of powdered wigs, silk gowns, and royal elegance with its newest exhibition, Ruffles & Ribbons: Fashion Plates from the Time of Marie Antoinette, running through August 3.
The exhibition, presented in the museum’s Cabinet Gallery, features 24 hand-colored engravings known as fashion plates that capture the glamour and extravagance of late 18th-century French style during the reign of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI.
The showcase marks a historic first for the Frick: it is the museum’s first gallery presentation drawn entirely from the holdings of the Frick Art Research Library.
Organized by Yifu Liu, the Frick’s Anne L. Poulet Curatorial Fellow, the exhibition is presented alongside the museum’s special exhibition Gainsborough: The Fashion of Portraiture. Together, the two shows explore how fashion shaped identity and social status in both France and Britain during the same era.
At the center of Ruffles & Ribbons is a rare selection from Gallerie des modes et costumes français (1778–1787), considered the most influential fashion plate series of its time. These prints documented the latest Parisian styles and helped spread French fashion trends across Europe and its colonies long before magazines or social media existed.
The plates reveal detailed looks at gowns, ribbons, hats, accessories, and fabrics that defined aristocratic life in pre-Revolutionary France. They also help connect visitors to the visual world seen in the portraits of British painter Thomas Gainsborough, whose work is featured in the companion exhibition.
“This project reflects exceptional scholarship and collaboration,” said Axel Rüger, Director of The Frick Collection. “It marks the first time works from the Frick Art Research Library will be shown in a dedicated exhibition in the museum’s galleries.”
In addition to the gallery installation, the exhibition will include an illustrated catalogue, public programming, and special library offerings such as reading lists and a research guide focused on fashion and art. A virtual Spring Book Club tied to the exhibition will also be part of the programming.
By bringing these centuries-old fashion plates to life, Ruffles & Ribbons offers visitors more than a look at beautiful clothes—it reveals how style shaped culture, power, and identity during one of history’s most visually extravagant eras.