Title page to Richard Brathwait, English Gentleman and English Gentlewoman

William Marshall

National Gallery of Art

The image features two full-length figures, a man and a woman, standing in niches with columns on either side. The man stands confidently with one hand on his hip, wearing a large brimmed hat, a cape, knee-length boots, and holding a cane. His facial features include a mustache, goatee, and shoulder-length wavy hair. The adjacent text block is titled "The English Gentleman and English Gentlevvoman" by Richard Brathwait, Esquire, printed in London by John Dawson in 1631. The woman is depicted with long wavy hair, wearing a gown and holding a small object. Surrounding the central figures are smaller compartments illustrating themes like "Youth," "Disposition," "Apparel," "Behaviour," "Education," "Vocation," filled with corresponding imagery like a ship, musical instruments, and allegorical figures. The background is dense with illustrative and textual elements, conveying a sense of historical and cultural richness.