“The Age of Undress explores the emergence and meaning of neoclassical dress in the 1790s, tracing its evolution from Naples to London and Paris over the course of a single decade. The neoclassical style of clothing—often referred to as robe a la grecque, empire style, of ‘undress’—is marked by a sheer, white high-waisted muslin dress worn with minimal undergarments, often accessorized with a cashmere shawl… Amelia Rauser investigates this sudden transformation and argues that women styled themselves as living statues—artworks come to life—an aesthetic and philosophical choice intertwined with the experiments and innovations of artists working in other media during the same period.”