Women's Dress

This image of Christine de Pizan presenting her writings to the queen of France also illustrates the style of sleeve that was popular at the time. The queen (in red) and the lady-in-waiting in the green dress both have similar sleeves to the style…

This image depicts a variety of women's dresses to compare with that shown in the Ellesmere illustration. Coincidentally, these women are all spinning wool together; spinning is a time-consuming, yet crucial step in the long process of making fabric.…

A closer image of the illustration in question. Note the fur-lined sleeves and gold cinch around her waist.

(Fig. 4) The people in this illustration, of a significantly higher class than Alisoun, have sleeves to match this class difference. Like Alisoun, their sleeves have a luxurious fur trim, but theirs are much longer, more expensive, and therefore more…