What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America, the Colonial Williamsburg Collection
"Paintings of upper-class men and women tell an important part of the history of costumes, but surviving garments reveal even more. Every crease, stitch, and stain in a piece of clothing supplies valuable information about its wearer and its era. This stunning book features eighteenth - and early-nineteenth-century garments from the premiere collection of Colonial Williamsburg. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs, including many details and back views, What Clothes Reveal treats...
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"Paintings of upper-class men and women tell an important part of the history of costumes, but surviving garments reveal even more. Every crease, stitch, and stain in a piece of clothing supplies valuable information about its wearer and its era. This stunning book features eighteenth - and early-nineteenth-century garments from the premiere collection of Colonial Williamsburg. Illustrated with more than 300 color photographs, including many details and back views, What Clothes Reveal 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 life cycle, and a history of clothing alteration. Informative sidebars on a variety of fascinating topics complete the volume.
President's MessageForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Collecting Costumes at Colonial Williamsburg2Ch. 1Costume: Old and New Connoisseurship16Ch. 2The Myths and Meanings of Clothing52Ch. 3Homespun and Silk: American Clothing76Ch. 4Common Dress: Clothing for Daily Life106Ch. 5Cradle to Coffin: Life Passages Reflected in Clothing140Ch. 6Tailoring Meaning: Alterations in Eighteenth-Century Clothing182Conclusion: Listening to Clothes208Time Line216Notes240Selected Bibliography252Index258
