By Joan Severa
Kent State University Press, 1995. 592 pgs. Nonfiction
Often the photographs depicting historical fashions are of the elite displaying the high fashion of the day—this book poses a different subject for the viewer: ordinary Americans. Mostly the subjects in this volume are wearing their best dress (they were visiting a photographer, after all). There are a few photographs of persons in their daily or working attire.
There are over 250 photographs organized by decade from 1840 through 1900. Each decade is preceded by a discussion of the trends and clothing characteristics of that decade. Each photograph is accompanied by its own explanatory text. At the back of volume is a brief glossary of terms.
This is a marvelous resource for genealogists, historians, and those specifically interested in the fashion history.
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