Dress of the People

[Red Maria]

An advance copy of this book arrived in the Library today. Material from our collection was used by the author John Styles (interesting that a book on fashion is wrtitten by a man named Styles) There a lot of fabric samples an illustration from the period. Quite a few illustrations of sailors. Fabric swatches etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Dress-People-Everyda...01545858&sr=1-1

[blackjohn]

Looks pretty neat. So for $50, do I get at least 50% useful material? I ask, because it seems to me most books of that nature skip our period, and head from the Restoration straight to the F&I (or Rev) like nothing even happened in the beginning of the century.

[Red Maria]

Not so much the illustration but in the text yes. I only had a cursory look at it since , I had to hand it over to the Acquisitions Librarian, my supervisor for processing.

The Appedicies in the back seem also useful for our period. Also the social context witch clothings is discussed is useful. You might want to wait a bit and get a used copy. That's what I usually do. University Press books are nortoriously pricey.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Black John

That is exactly what I was thinking, and was getting ready to post when I saw your reply.

I hope it has some good stuff on our period... I will see if I can convince the base library to get a copy!

GoF

[hurricane]

Has anyone purchased or checked this one out?

Textiles in America 1650-1870 (Hardcover)

First published in 1984, Textiles in America 1650-1870 remains the definitive study of textiles as they were used in early American homes.

The book offers an overview of textiles in America, based on years of research, that is unmatched in scope. Imported textiles played a central role in the lives of American colonists. The most-imported commodity, and a highly valued one, textiles were used for bedding, bed curtains, clothing, household linens, window curtains, upholstery, and floor covering. This book illustrates samples from collections around the world, as well as drawings and engravings of the time. Its dictionary-style entries depict the myriad household uses for textiles in the period. Drawing on original documents, prints, paintings, commercial records, merchant papers, advertisements, and pattern books, Textiles in America 1650-1870 is a comprehensive resource and a treasure trove of scholarship. 117 color, 225 black-and-white illustrations.

About the Author

The late Florence M. Montgomery was assistant curator of textiles at the Winterthur Museum.

I'm thinking of purchasing it but wanted to see what others thought. It's on amazon.com.

-- Hurricane

[blackjohn]

Maria... thanks. Craziest price I ever paid for a reenacting book was $100 for a book of illustrations of uniforms worn by Frederick the Great's army.

Greg... great minds think alike.

Hurricane... yes, that's a classic. Remind me to kick myself in the arse if I don't buy a copy now that it is back in print!

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Hurricane

Again, I concur with BlackJohn If you can get this book, do so. It was out of print and copies were going for $300 on e-bay.

It covers so much and has great pictures of actual samples.

I link to it on my site... http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/library.htm

So if its back in print, its almost a must have....

GoF

[Red Maria]

We have here at the Huntington. I'll get it on my break.

[hurricane]

Thanks for the recommend. I'll snag one off of amazon.com and add it to the collection. I had pre-ordered it last year but then a bunch of other must-have resources fell in before it (what's new, eh?)...

-- Hurricane