If clothes, as they say, make the man (and now, of course, the woman), then knowledge about garments makes an individual understand the past in relation to human nature. Colonial Williamsburg curator and author (
Eighteenth Century Clothing at Williamsburg, 1986), Baumgarten explores via the museum's collection the process of becoming a connoisseur of antique frocks, fabrics, mythos and meanings, life passages, alterations, and common dress. Everything's explained against a visual panoply of period paintings, artifacts, and clothing, executed in slow, sometimes meandering prose. Along the way, tidbits and informational sidebars stand out. Such as in the 1700s, when male wigs were in fashion, while at home, men removed them in favor of soft caps. Another interesting fact is that frontier legend Davy Crockett usually wore normal clothing, donning a hunting shirt only to appeal to his rural Tennessee voters. And George Washington was, in truth, taller than his forty-second successor, George W. Bush. Intended for fashion fans with enough time to wade through and reorganize fashion facts.
Barbara JacobsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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"A great read for non-specialists, a valuable resource for art historians not used to looking at objects, and an essential tool for introducing students to the history of clothing in the Americas."--Emma Hart, "Textile History"--Emma Hart "Textile History "
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