“Caricature of a Dandy,” hand colored engraving, circa 1818. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Print Collection.

From tight hose and doublets to codpieces to the wasp-waisted frock coat that preceded the modern suit, the history of men’s fashion is more innovative and less conservative than is generally known. Bringing together nearly 200 illustrated books, prints, photographs and watercolor sketches, “A Rakish History of Men’s Wear,” which goes on view at the New York Public Library from September 8 through April 7, surveys men’s dress from antiquity to the present.

Drawing mainly from the art and architecture collection of the library’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division, the items on display tell the intriguing story of how menswear swung between ostentation and restraint until the early modern era. The exhibition pays particular attention to the rakes and rebels, from George “Beau” Brummell in the Nineteenth Century to style icons like Sean Combs today, who have defined masculine fashion. The exhibition is curated by Paula Baxter, curator of the library’s art and architecture collection.

Included in the exhibition are hand colored etchings by Raphael Jacquemin (1821-1881) and chromolithographs by Auguste Racinet (1825-1893), fashion illustrators and historians who worked during the golden age of Nineteenth Century fashion design publishing. Also included are several simple, yet elegant, colored posters by Edward Penfield (1866-1925), a master illustrator known for his cover art for Harper’s. More contemporary men’s fashions are demonstrated by advertisements for brands such as Ralph Lauren, Versace, Giorgio Armani, Comme des garçons and Vivienne Westwood.

“Changes in the design of men’s clothing serve as fascinating gender markers, telling us much about enduring masculine values,” said exhibition curator Paula Baxter. “In addition, the role of the dandy has proven to be a greater social force than most people realize. In selecting items for ‘A Rakish History of Men’s Wear,’ my aim has been to demonstrate how and why menswear has evolved into the shape that we know it today.”

Organized into ten thematic and roughly chronological sections, the exhibition begins with an overview of styles, trends and themes that have marked more than two millennia of menswear. The idealized bodies of warriors and athletes are seen in Racinet’s survey of ancient Greek masculine dress from his Le costume historique; revivals of Greek dress and armor design reappear regularly over the centuries.

The preference for ostentatious fashions by monarchs such as Louis XIV, the better to reflect their exalted positions, is seen in Jacquemin’s study of “The Sun King.” Likewise, men’s desire to appear sexually attractive has been a constant motivation in masculine dress from the beginning of civilization. Young men, perpetually anxious to make a good appearance, devised and flaunted new fashions, such as the tight, brightly colored hose depicted in the colored engraving “Young Venetian from Calza.”

Inspired by the exhibition, the Humanities and Social Sciences Library’s fall series of free lectures and classes, “Reflections on Culture: Fashion, Styles and Trends,” will explore the ideas of “fashion” and “style” in the broadest sense. “Gentleman Prefer Black: A Rakish History of Men’s Wear” will be presented on September 13, October 11, November 8 and December 13 at 12:30 pm. Curator Baxter will consider the powerful social forces behind the transformation of men’s dress, based on historical precedents and the demands of modernism.

The New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library is at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room on the third floor. For information, www.nypl.org or 212-869-8089.