The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815 [Hardcover]

Katell Le Bourhis (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; First Edition edition (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810919001
• ISBN-13: 978-0810919006
• Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 12.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fashion in transition in the Age of Napoleon, January 25, 2005

By 

K. Maxwell "katmax1" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Napoleon: Costume from Revolution to Empire, 1789-1815 (Hardcover)

This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1989. However, it is more than simply an exhibition catalogue, and in fact there isn't even a full listing in the book of the items that were on display. However, what this book does do is explore the changes of costume in France and America that occurred during the years of Napoleon's rule in France from 1789 to 1815.

The topics covered in the book include:-

1. Costume in the age of Napoleon
2. Jewels of the empire
3. Joseph Cardinal Fesch and the liturgical vestments of Lyon
4. Silk from Lyon during the empire
5. Uniforms in the Napoleonic era
6. The Emperor's wardrobe
7. American women and French fashion.


The book is beautifully illustrated throughout with colour pictures of costumes that were on display in the exhibition and by other supporting objects such as paintings and prints of the same era. This is one of the few books that go into detail on the fashions of this period and deals with other related subjects such as Napoleons efforts to revitalise the silk and lace industries of France to be used in his court and the costumes of his armies. Recommended for anyone interested in French fashions of this period, or even Regency fashion in general.