Southern Ladies' Civil War & Antebellum Fashions 1855-1865

by Sarah E. Mitchell

Southern Ladies' Civil War and Antebellum Fashions 1855–1865 contains historically accurate descriptions of clothing, shoes, and undergarments worn by Southern women from 1855 to 1865, and a look at the ways that Southern women ingeniously kept themselves clothed and shod during the hard days of the Civil War. Sources include newspapers, magazines, letters, and diaries from the period. The book contains 11,758 words and 132 endnotes and is illustrated with 34 black-and-white sketches, fashion drawings, and photographs from the era.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

62 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Candace Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice lesson...

I do love the included illustrations. For someone newly researching this subject this is quite the lengthy introduction. I am sure to refer back again and again.

[EJ Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little pamphlet offers a cursory introduction to Southern ladies fashion around the time of the War Between the States. Although bursting with interesting anecdotes, which are both informative and entertaining, the work does not offer sufficient breadth for a true reference piece nor does it have enough practical advice to assist reeneactors or interpreters. It is instead a very useful introduction which would almost certainly need to be augmented with additional information.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Outstanding Work.

Though short, this book of antebellum women’s fashions is filled with sketches, history, anecdotes, and interesting historical information and tidbits. ❤️

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southern Ladies' Civil War & Antebellum Fashions 1855-1865
Amazon ebook for Kindle $2.99

This would be a lovely way to gain more knowledge on the fashions pictured in the flashbacks found throughout the series. I read frequently so I have heard of corsets, petite coats, flounces, stockings, and the likes; but this does not mean that everybody has the same knowledge as me and they may need a background knowledge builder that I do not myself. The illustrations found after the introduction help to enforce the information found on the pages as well as the excerpts from different writers.
I found this rather immersive in nature to read surprisingly considering it is of a purely informational nature. The way the text is written is very stylized which creates the immersive feel.
A great addition to the study of a period drama or a show with flashbacks like Vampire Diaries.