Dresses and Dressmaking: From the Late Georgians to the Edwardians

This book explores the history behind how woman’s clothing were manufactured and worn between the French Revolution and World War I. Including full-color photography of various outfits, including accessories and undergarments, the author puts the costumes into historical context, featuring information on those who created or wore them—a dress worn by a devout Quaker, a nursing dress worn by a farmer’s wife, a badly-made dress worn (and hated) by the daughter of a social reformer, a mourning outfit cobbled together from two separate dresses and an outfit worn by a teenage suffragette. Exploring fashion and how it reflects changes in trade, technological developments, social attitudes and lifestyle, as well as how fashion was portrayed by writers and cartoonists of the era, this is a fascinating, lavishly illustrated guide to the changes and developments in woman’s fashion.