You know we poor artists have to show ourselves in society from time to time, just to remind the public that we are not savages. With an evening coat and a white tie, anybody, even a stock-broker, can gain a reputation for being civilized.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 1. Basil tells Lord Henry that creative people like artists have to bow to the demands of society sometimes. So they dress up in public from time to time to show they are "civilized" and not "savages."