Everyday Fashion in Found Photographs: American Women of the Late 19th Century

From crinolines and corsets to shirtwaists and bifurcated skirts for bicycle riding, this title invites readers to look at U.S. women’s dress from the mid-1800s to the start of the 20th century. Academic librarian Hodgkins’s (Pima Comm. Coll., Tucson; former head librarian and archives manager, British Vogue) collection of cartes de visite (or calling cards), including more than 180 vintage unpublished photographs, provides the exemplars. The introductions to each decade (1860–90), highlight the economic, cultural, and social changes impacting American women. Articles of clothing within each photograph are described noting function, fabrication, ornamentation, and accompanying jewelry or footwear. Sources of fabric, fabric technology, and influences on style are also included. Hodgkins has diligently researched each decade and the pictured clothing, as captured in the book’s bibliography and notes. By including excerpts from magazines and other sources of the time, she provides readers with insights about women’s evolving roles as reflected in their dress. The photographs are of good quality, the writing is interesting, and the supporting references extensive.