In the spring of 1766, the repression of the traditional popular wear triggered off the greatest social conflict ever in early-modern Madrid, the so-called “riot against Esquilache” (the latter being the name of the prime minister of King Carlos III). The banishment of long capes and wide-brim-hats, arguing that such ...
(Show more)In the spring of 1766, the repression of the traditional popular wear triggered off the greatest social conflict ever in early-modern Madrid, the so-called “riot against Esquilache” (the latter being the name of the prime minister of King Carlos III). The banishment of long capes and wide-brim-hats, arguing that such garments prevented the identification of those suspicious of conspiracy, was the last straw on people’s unrest, which had further deeper causes related to bread scarcity and price rising. This manifestation of collective violence reveals that clothing stood at the core of social relations during the early-modern age. How did common people of Madrid dress up? Why such an attachment to long capes and wide-brim hats? In order to answer these questions, there is a rich documentary supply available which comprises a number of probate inventories and dowries of people at marriage, which usually contain trousseaus; probate inventories of clothiers’ shops, indentures which specify the clothes that masters had to provide to their apprentices, and declarations of poverty that often give details of personal wardrobes. The systematic processing of these sources enables us to compare the official discourse with everyday experience, as well as to identify the changes and permanencies developed in labourers’ wardrobes.
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