Monday, May 7, 2007

Dressed for the Photographer


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.

SML

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