The Art of Dress: Clothes and Society 1500-1914

About this book

The clothing worn in the past affords an invaluable insight into lifestyles that have disappeared forever. Choice of dress has always been affected by numerous influences - social and economic artistic and technical - and of course the vagaries of individual taste. In this delightfully illustrated book a unique account is offered of the history of dress over four centuries. Drawing on the rich resources of Britains National Trust properties which include numerous costume and textile collections revealing painted portraits and extensive documentation in the form of family correspondence diaries and household papers Jane Ashelford goes beyond a mere chronicle of cut shape and decoration. She looks at the social aspects of dress - how styles were conveyed how and where materials and clothing were purchased and what people wore at all levels of society and at all ages from swaddling bands to widows weeds. Many remarkable ensembles are seen here often for the first time in spectacular photographs specially commissioned from Andreas von Einsiedel. Mens womens childrens and servants attire and accessories provide vital information about the taste preoccupations and aspirations of the individuals who wore them and the world in which they lived.