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What People Wore: 1,800 Illustrations from Ancient Times to the Early Twentieth Century
"The book is an invaluable guide to all things fashion." — Collectors' Corner
Spanning nearly 5,000 years of clothing styles, this splendid sourcebook presents a fascinating panorama of wearing apparel, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and continuing through the early decades of the twentieth century.
Over 1,800 drawings — meticulously researched and accurately rendered by the author — depict garments ranging from diaphanous gowns of Egyptian royalty, ornate robes of Byzantine dignitaries, and elegant dresses worn by eighteenth-century Parisians, to picturesque outfits of American frontiersmen and the revolutionary 1930s wardrobe of the American flapper.
Here also are informal portraits of Byzantine commoners and religious figures, Elizabethans in lace collars and ruffs, upper-class Venetians, English dandies, and French gentlemen of the mid-eighteenth century as well as detailed illustrations of nineteenth-century New York farmers, western fur trappers, cowboys, mountain men, and lumberjacks, Klondike prospectors, Mississippi rivermen, and many more. A brief historical survey precedes the chronologically grouped illustrations of each period, and an overall list supplies the source for each drawing. A comprehensive reference for artists, designers, and social historians, this invaluable treasury will also intrigue anyone interested in the evolution of wearing apparel.
Spanning nearly 5,000 years of clothing styles, this splendid sourcebook presents a fascinating panorama of wearing apparel, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and continuing through the early decades of the twentieth century.
Over 1,800 drawings — meticulously researched and accurately rendered by the author — depict garments ranging from diaphanous gowns of Egyptian royalty, ornate robes of Byzantine dignitaries, and elegant dresses worn by eighteenth-century Parisians, to picturesque outfits of American frontiersmen and the revolutionary 1930s wardrobe of the American flapper.
Here also are informal portraits of Byzantine commoners and religious figures, Elizabethans in lace collars and ruffs, upper-class Venetians, English dandies, and French gentlemen of the mid-eighteenth century as well as detailed illustrations of nineteenth-century New York farmers, western fur trappers, cowboys, mountain men, and lumberjacks, Klondike prospectors, Mississippi rivermen, and many more. A brief historical survey precedes the chronologically grouped illustrations of each period, and an overall list supplies the source for each drawing. A comprehensive reference for artists, designers, and social historians, this invaluable treasury will also intrigue anyone interested in the evolution of wearing apparel.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 20, 2021
I hated the part in the beginning about Ancient clothes. First of all the author specializes in European clothing and does not have the authority to discuss ancient clothing. Second of all, it is problematic that the author combined all of African and Eastern regions into 12 pages which would have a couple drawings that represent THOUSANDS of years of history. The author justified this by saying that clothing didn’t vary in the East over thousands of years because the East has less individualism than the Western world. This is lazy and racist. Of course clothing varied over vast regions and thousands of years! Just because this white make author does not know about the varying clothes in the east over the centuries doesn’t mean it didn’t exist! Another problematic thing was that the author only discussed Eastern clothes in relation to the Western world which really bothered me. Additionally literally only four pages of the section is on the Ancient Near East, the rest is Ancient Greece and Romans. Not to mention that this section is the only section in the book to have NO SOURCES and with illustrations that are just line drawings because author didn’t feel that the clothing should be detailed! Less opinions more clothing examples please!
I found the rest of the book, 230 pages, about European clothing from the Medieval period to the Twentieth century to be great. I loved the illustrations because they were detailed and I loved that there were sources listed for each time period. This book would have been better if the author stuck to their expertise and just wrote about European clothing. This book is not about clothing from Ancient times to the Twentieth century, it is about European clothing from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth century.
So yeah, first section is problematic and I wouldn’t trust the info in it. The rest of the book is fine, because the author specializes in European clothes.
I found the rest of the book, 230 pages, about European clothing from the Medieval period to the Twentieth century to be great. I loved the illustrations because they were detailed and I loved that there were sources listed for each time period. This book would have been better if the author stuck to their expertise and just wrote about European clothing. This book is not about clothing from Ancient times to the Twentieth century, it is about European clothing from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth century.
So yeah, first section is problematic and I wouldn’t trust the info in it. The rest of the book is fine, because the author specializes in European clothes.
July 4, 2017
Such a grand book. I use this for referencing and costume ideas. Its brilliant!
January 25, 2022
Very Helpful, good illustrations.
April 14, 2014
I think I have an earlier hardcover edition of this book. I don't know if there are 1,800 illustrations but there are a lot. Over the years I've found this book very helpful in a variety of ways. For example, if I'm ready a novel set in a certain period, it's nice to see what the clothes the characters wear may have looked like.
I'm sure if you are studying costume or the history of a period there are better resources, but this is a good overall quick reference.
I'm sure if you are studying costume or the history of a period there are better resources, but this is a good overall quick reference.
November 20, 2007
Great picture book of illustrations of fashions through the ages.
December 5, 2010
Good reference for people from Ancient Times to the Early Twentieth Century.
September 25, 2012
Good to read!
June 21, 2009
This is a nice costume book, but I've read better.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews