What Clothes Reveal
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The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America
Linda Baumgarten
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Format: PaperPrice: $50.00
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Paintings of upper-class men and women tell an important part of the history of costumes, but surviving garments themselves reveal even more. Every crease, stitch, and stain in a piece of clothing supplies information about its wearer and its era. This stunning book features eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century garments from the premiere collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs, including many details and back views, the book treats not only elegant, high-style clothing in colonial America but also garments for everyday and work, the clothing of slaves, and maternity and nursing apparel.
Drawing on contemporary written descriptions and on actual costumes of the period, the book analyzes what Americans in the eighteenth century considered fashionable and attractive and how they used clothing to assert status or to identify occupations. The book also examines the myths and meanings of clothing in British and American society, clothing for the entire lifecycle, and a history of clothing alteration. Informative sidebars on a variety of fascinating topics complete the volume.
Drawing on contemporary written descriptions and on actual costumes of the period, the book analyzes what Americans in the eighteenth century considered fashionable and attractive and how they used clothing to assert status or to identify occupations. The book also examines the myths and meanings of clothing in British and American society, clothing for the entire lifecycle, and a history of clothing alteration. Informative sidebars on a variety of fascinating topics complete the volume.
Published in association with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Linda Baumgarten is curator of textiles and costumes at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Colonial Williamsburg Collection
Williamsburg Decorative Arts Series
ISBN: 9780300181074
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Publishing Partner: Published in association with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Publication Date: February 28, 2012
Publishing Partner: Published in association with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
280 pages, 9 x 12
355 color + 36 b/w illus.
355 color + 36 b/w illus.
