Sumptuary law - Knowledge (XXG)

458:, silver, and other most vain devices of so great cost for the quantity thereof as of necessity the moneys and treasure of the realm is and must be yearly conveyed out of the same to answer the said excess) but also particularly the wasting and undoing of a great number of young gentlemen, otherwise serviceable, and others seeking by show of apparel to be esteemed as gentlemen, who, allured by the vain show of those things, do not only consume themselves, their goods, and lands which their parents left unto them, but also run into such debts and shifts as they cannot live out of danger of laws without attempting unlawful acts, whereby they are not any ways serviceable to their country as otherwise they might be 617:, in his public sermons in Siena, thundered against the vanity of luxurious dress; this, however, was counterbalanced by the economic benefit Siena derived as a manufacturer of items, including clothes, of luxury. One source describes these types of laws as constantly published, and generally ignored. These laws, mostly aimed at female apparel, sometimes became a source of revenue for the state: the Florentine laws of 1415 restricted the luxury that could be worn by women, but exempted those willing to pay 50 florins a year. The laws were often quite specific. Low necklines were prohibited in 408:, a striped cloak, in England a striped hood, and so on. Over time, these tended to be reduced to distinctive bands of fabric attached to the arm or shoulder, or tassels on the arm. Later restrictions specified various forms of finery that were forbidden, although there was also sometimes a recognition that finery represented working equipment (and capital) for a prostitute, and they could be exempted from laws applying to other non-noble women. By the 15th century, no compulsory clothing seems to have been imposed on prostitutes in 833: 6685: 6170: 4960: 6673: 33: 141:, sumptuary laws "furnish the historian of rules with an extreme case of rule failure," as such laws frequently failed to reduce excess and may even have exacerbated excess. Sumptuary laws were often revisable regulations rather than stable laws, as governing authorities sought to prohibit the latest rebellious or extravagant fashions. 5106: 245:, laws were passed against political corruption of Roman magistrates, forbidding their attendance at banquets given by candidates or their agents. During the period of transition from Republic to Empire, such antisumptuary laws, which may have still existed were virtually ignored by most. In the period of profligate 372:. Males are exhorted not to wear silk clothes, nor have jewelry made of gold. Likewise, wearing clothes or robes that drag on the ground, seen as a sign of vanity and excessive pride, is also forbidden. These rules do not apply to women, who are allowed all this, but also need to cover their bodies and hair. 166:

A free-born woman may not be accompanied by more than one female slave, unless she is drunk; she may not leave the city during the night, unless she is planning to commit adultery; she may not wear gold jewelry or a garment with a purple border, unless she is a courtesan; and a husband may not wear a

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In England, which in this respect was typical of Europe, from the reign of Edward III in the Middle Ages until well into the 17th century, sumptuary laws dictated what colour and type of clothing, furs, fabrics, and trims were allowed to persons of various ranks or incomes. In the case of clothing,

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was likewise banned. The statute contained further restrictions on clothing based on social class; the earliest example of class-based restriction was that of fur, prohibited for anyone below the rank of lady or knight. The restriction on fur was expanded in subsequent decades in London to restrict

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In 1971, a United States federal study stated that federal laws on alcohol include "sumptuary laws which are directed at the purchaser", including, "Sales are not permitted to minors or intoxicated persons. Credit is often prohibited on liquor sales, as well. Criminal penalties may be imposed for

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An extremely long list of items, specifying colour, materials, and sometimes place of manufacture (imported goods being much more tightly restricted) followed for each sex, with equally specific exceptions by rank of nobility or position held. For the most part, these laws seem to have had little

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Sumptuary laws issued by secular authorities, aimed at keeping the main population dressed according to their "station", do not begin until the later 13th century. These laws were addressed to the entire social body, but the brunt of regulations was directed at women and the middle classes. Their

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was against the necessity or convenience of sumptuary laws, he wrote: "of It is the highest impertinence and presumption... in kings and ministers, to pretend to watch over the economy of private people, and to restrain their expense... They are themselves always, and without any exception, the

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The laws were justified by the reasoning that the price of certain goods increased to levels where "the treasure of the land is destroyed, to the great damage of the lords and the commonality" when "various people or various conditions wear various apparel not appropriate to their estate".

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The excess of apparel and the superfluity of unnecessary foreign wares thereto belonging now of late years is grown by sufferance to such an extremity that the manifest decay of the whole realm generally is like to follow (by bringing into the realm such superfluities of silks,

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or caps, shirts, collars, and cuffs embroidered with metallic threads or lace, and puffs, slashes, and bunches of ribbon were severely restricted. As with other such laws, these were widely disregarded and enforced in a lax manner. A series of popular engravings by

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curbing of display was ordinarily couched in religious and moralizing vocabulary, yet was affected by social and economic considerations aimed at preventing ruinous expense among the wealthy classes and the drain of capital reserves to foreign suppliers.

130:. Bourgeois subjects appearing to be as wealthy as or wealthier than the ruling nobility could undermine the nobility's presentation of themselves as powerful, legitimate rulers. This could call into question their ability to control and defend their 953:

generally described their modern form as laws that "substitute the legislative judgment for that of the proprietor, regarding the manner in which he should use and employ his property." Policies to which the term has been critically applied include

550:. c. 19) to stimulate domestic wool consumption and general trade decreed that on Sundays and holidays, all males over six years of age, except for the nobility and persons of degree, were to wear woolen caps on pain of a fine of three farthings ( 256:, forbade extravagant expenses at funerals. This included the pouring of wine over the ashes at cremations (which seems nevertheless to have been an invariable practise), the use of smoothed timbers in funeral pyres, and "excessive" mourning. 71:

defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furniture, or shoes, etc." Historically, they were intended to regulate and reinforce

860:, hatbands, belts, ruffles, capes, and other articles. After a few decades, the law was being widely defied. By 1651, flouting of the rules caused leadership to issue a new strongly worded regulation to the populace again. In the 228:, which was deemed an effeminate and morally suspect material. During the height of the Empire, expenditure on silk imported from China was so high, Imperial advisers warned that Roman silver reserves were becoming exhausted. 1865:]. The Statutes at Large, of England and of Great Britain: from Magna Carta to the Union of the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. Vol. IV. London, Great Britain: George Eyre and Andrew Strahan. pp. 315–17. 595:

greatest spendthrifts in the society. Let them look well after their own expense, and they may safely trust private people with theirs. If their own extravagance does not ruin the state, that of their subjects never will."

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of Antiquity, but also to crimson, dark reds and royal blue. The language of the act uses technical terminology to restrict certain features of garments that are decorative in function, intended to enhance the silhouette.

1273: 336:(1603–1868), people of every class were subject to strict sumptuary laws, including regulation of the types of clothing that could be worn. In the second half of that period (the 18th and 19th centuries), the 2768:

The statutes of the realm : Printed by command of his majesty King George the Third, in pursuance of an address of the House of Commons of Great Britain. From original records and authentic manuscripts

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Societies have used sumptuary laws for a variety of purposes. They were used to try to regulate the balance of trade by limiting the market for expensive imported goods. They made it easy to identify

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While rarely do restrictions exist on the type or quality of clothing, beyond maintenance of public decency, wearing certain types of clothing is restricted to specific occupations, specifically the

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that characterized the height of the Roman Empire, the laws regarding the wearing of Tyrian purple were rigorously enforced. Infringement of this prohibition was treasonous, so punishable by death.

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as a bad sumptuary law, stating that one of his reasons for opposing prohibition was his belief that "sumptuary laws are matters for parochial adjustment." Taft later repeated this concern. The

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Conspicuous signs of religious affiliation, including Islamic headscarves, are banned from French state schools, and full-face veils (burkas and niqabs) cannot be worn in public places.

1013: 803:, banned the wearing of traditional woollen mantles, "open smocks" with "great sleeves", and native headdresses, requiring the people to dress in "civil garments" in the English style. 648:

The way by which our laws attempt to regulate idle and vain expenses in meat and clothes, seems to be quite contrary to the end designed… For to enact that none but princes shall eat

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were perched on rectangular pedestals, while commoners had to be satisfied with a simple gravestone. The location of graves and the number of attendant statues depended on rank.

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and trade in cloths. This statute is the first known English legislation restricting the use of "royal purple" – a term which, during the Middle Ages, referred not only to the

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Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child | NGO Response to Initial State Party Report: BHUTAN (CRC/C/3/Add.60) under the Convention of the Rights of the Child

288:, issued such regulations in the first year of his rule (1368) and tightened them in 1396, allowing only the highest nobility and officials of the top three ranks a memorial 915:, the wearing of traditional dress (which also has an ethnic connotation) in certain places, such as when visiting government offices, was made compulsory in 1989 under the 352:

eventually gave in and allowed certain concessions, including allowing merchants of a certain prestige to wear a single sword at their belt; samurai were required to wear a

436:, during which prohibitions were enacted on the import of textiles from lands outside Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales and the exportation of domestically produced 310:, sumptuary law in China was reformed. It had long been ineffective. The consumption of luxuries had risen over the previous several centuries, and at the time of the 348:, and these laws sought to maintain the superiority of the samurai class despite the merchants being able to afford far more luxurious clothing and other items. The 2461: 2364:"Turkey has implemented a ban on the use of the Hijab, or the headscarf, in state controlled areas like universities, government offices, and other public places." 1219: 5040: 2782: 1621: 1046:

in two initiatives, 229 and 248, the initiatives' language stated, "Cannabis prohibition is a sumptuary law of a nature repugnant to our Constitution's framers."

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in 1933, numerous delegates throughout the United States decried prohibition as having been an improper sumptuary law that never should have been included in the

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In some jurisdictions, clothing or other visible signs of religious or political opinion (e.g. Nazi imagery in Germany) are forbidden in certain public places.

332:, "In feudal Japan, sumptuary laws were passed with a frequency and minuteness of scope that had no parallel in the history of the Western world." During the 2961: 2679: 2542: 755:, illegal in Scotland (an exemption was made for soldiers and veterans). The Act, which was poorly enforced, was eventually repealed in 1782, and during the 6602: 2298:

Rugemer, Edward B. (2013). "The Development of Mastery and Race in the Comprehensive Slave Codes of the Greater Caribbean during the Seventeenth Century".

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Summarized very succinctly in David Jacoby, "Silk Economics and Cross-Cultural Artistic Interaction: Byzantium, the Muslim World, and the Christian West"

241:, which listed the names of everyone found guilty of a luxurious mode of living; a great many instances of this kind are recorded. Towards the end of the 6515: 2583: 708:

that narrowed at the wrist were allowed for sentinel yeomen who lived in their lord's house and rode with the gentlemen. Commoners' wives could not wear

1810: 1325: 479:, but the April 1463 statute marked the first attempt at a comprehensive sumptuary legislation. Scholars have interpreted the act as part of a set of 314:

in Europe, Chinese consumption of luxuries such as tea, sugar, fine silk, tobacco, and eating utensils was on a par with the core regions of Europe.

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laws were passed prohibiting the purchase of foreign silks and laces. Prohibitions were tied to rank and income and continued to be widely ignored.

660:, and interdict these things to the people, what is it but to bring them into a greater esteem, and to set every one more agog to eat and wear them? 2258:

The general laws and liberties of the Massachusets colony: revised & re-printed, by order of the General Court holden at Boston. May 15th. 1672

1249:"In Support of the Oppian Law by Cato the Censor. Rome (218 B.C.–84 A.D.). Vol. II. Bryan, William Jennings, ed. 1906. The World's Famous Orations" 2854:

Le contrôle de l'apparence vestimentaire à Lausanne d'après les lois somptuaires bernoises et les registres du Consistoire de la Ville (1675–1706)

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term to describe any governmental control of consumption based on moral, religious, health, or public safety, or other concerns. American Judge

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this was intended, amongst other reasons, to reduce spending on foreign textiles and to ensure that people did not dress "above their station":

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John C. Fox, "An assessment of the current legal climate concerning smoking in the workplace", 13 St. Louis U. Pub. L. Rev. 591, 623–624 (1994)

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had a duty to put a check upon morals and extravagance in personal and political expenditure. The censors published details of offences in the

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may don the saffron scarf, with various other colors reserved for government and religious officers, and white available for common people.

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caught violating these laws would be punished by death and all their lands and goods forfeit. Embroidery and pearls were also restricted.

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As early as the 12th century, certain articles of clothing were prohibited to crusaders and pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land under the

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Pomeranz, Kenneth (2002). "Political economy and ecology on the eve of industrialisation: Europe, China and the global conjuncture".

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of France issued edicts regulating "Superfluity of Dress" that prohibited anyone but princes and the nobility from wearing

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Droit romain, le luxe et les lois somptuaires: économie politique de l'influence du luxe sur la répartition des richesses

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of 1188, but scant evidence exists in the historical record of legal regulations on dress in Britain until the reign of

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virtue of restraint was embodied in the scholarly system central to China's bureaucracy and became encoded in its laws.

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and to stabilize social hierarchies. They could also be used to prevent, or at least reduce opportunities for political

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and morals through restrictions on clothing, food, and luxury expenditures, often depending on a person's social rank.

6622: 6612: 6525: 6431: 1419: 692:) and other items to men of certain social ranks like knight, lord, burgess, and their families. As with the laws of 2505:

Treatise on the Constitutional Limitations which Rest upon the Legislative Power of the States of the American Union

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Prohibition of depictions of human and animal figures in general are similar to those of the Quranic prohibition on

134:, thus inspiring traitors and rebels. Such laws continued to be used for these purposes well into the 17th century. 6494: 4931: 865: 861: 736: 696:

in 1420, silver plating was reserved for the spurs of knights and the apparel of barons or higher ranking persons.

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Erker, Darja Šterbenc, "Gender and Roman funeral ritual", pp. 40–60 in Hope, V., Huskinson, J,. (Editors),

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The German Strafgesetzbuch (Criminal Code) in §86a outlaws "use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations".

1888:"39 Eliz. c. 18: An Acte for the reviving continuance explanacion perfecting and repealing of divers Statutes" 629:(sable furs carried as fashion accessories) with heads and feet of precious metals and jewels were issued in 49:

casting aside lace, ribbons and slashed sleeves in favor of sober dress in accordance with the edict of 1633.

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Roman sumptuary laws applied to both the living and the dead. Rome's most ancient laws, the laws of the

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Massachusetts; Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. (Nathaniel Bradstreet); Court, Massachusetts General (1854).

684:, preserves some medieval legal terminology related to textiles, limiting silk, some types of furs ( 6688: 6466: 6297: 6248: 6191: 5245: 4778: 3346: 3256: 2951: 2706: 2665: 1856: 997: 677: 614: 2745: 2200: 539:, scarlet-dyed cloths and any leathers or animal hides other than lambskins were also restricted. 6729: 6592: 6530: 6318: 6307: 6285: 6280: 6269: 5955: 5880: 5850: 5625: 5515: 5398: 5371: 5137: 4495: 3658: 3547: 3513: 3508: 3481: 3351: 3251: 2776: 2481: 2315: 2196:

Embroidery and Lace: Their Manufacture and History from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Day

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gold-studded ring or a cloak of Milesian fashion unless he is bent upon prostitution or adultery.

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Hasan Aydin, University of Nevada, Reno: Headscarf (Hijab) Ban in Turkey: importance of veiling.

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One of the earliest known Scottish sumptuary regulations was passed in 1429 during the reign of

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Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890–1940

644:'s brief essay "On sumptuary laws" criticized 16th-century French laws, beginning: 6446: 5905: 5900: 5855: 5760: 5750: 5647: 5550: 5498: 5323: 5313: 5240: 5235: 4904: 4724: 4045: 3931: 3926: 3800: 3738: 3665: 3488: 3311: 3281: 3224: 2990: 2828:

The Political Economy of Status Competition: Sumptuary Laws in Preindustrial Europe

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Jewellery in Britain 1066–1837 A Documentary, Social, Literary and Artistic Survey

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Johns-Manville Sales Corp. v. International Ass'n of Machinists, Local Lodge 1609

2113: 1998: 996:, stated, "This law (prohibition), like all sumptuary laws, must fail." In 1918, 6329: 6151: 6028: 5940: 5890: 5805: 5780: 5715: 5652: 5620: 5530: 5510: 5503: 5423: 5195: 4825: 4786: 4520: 4515: 4480: 4400: 4306: 4181: 4161: 4156: 4094: 4084: 4079: 4067: 4050: 4030: 4025: 3785: 3733: 3723: 3682: 3594: 3523: 3476: 3326: 3321: 3219: 3107: 3102: 3027: 1424: 1060: 979: 963: 955: 800: 792: 756: 697: 604: 464: 270: 246: 127: 5720: 2879:

Forbidden Pleasures: Sumptuary Laws and the Ideology of Decline in Ancient Rome

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