Victorian Fashions for Women and Children: Society's Impact on Dress

Revealed here are children's and women's clothing, including undergarments, leisurewear, and street apparel from 1860 to 1900. Over 270 photographs combine with text to enable accurate dating of clothing to within a three- to seven-year time frame. Nineteenth century photographs are supplemented by surviving examples of period clothing, many picturing both the outside and inner construction. The text is based on Victorian fashion, medical, etiquette, and advice literature and reveals the often-surprising reasons females were willing to become such devoted slaves to dress, as well as the impact dress had upon their lives and health. This well-researched book also explores the constraints of childhood during this era, which lends valuable insight into women's acceptance of nonsensical fashions as adults. Endnotes are included.