The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France, 1750-1820 [Hardcover]

Ms. Aileen Ribeiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 1995

Dress is the most fleeting of the arts, subject to the arbitrary dictates of fashion. It is also, however, the art that relates most closely to our lives, both as reflection of our self-image and, in the words of Louis XIV, as "the mirror of history". This text examines English and French fashion from 1750 to 1820 by studying the art of the period and it shows how changes in dress reflected social, political and cultural developments in the two countries. Closely analyzing a wide range of visual sources - including portraits and history painting, sculpture, drawings, caricatures and fashion plates by such artists as Reynolds, Gainsborough, Lawrence, David and Ingres - the book describes the development of fashion during this period. The author investigates, for example, how English and French attitudes towards formality and informality were reflected in their dress; how revolution and war affected what was worn; how the concept of fashion was brought to a wider audience, partly because of technological advances in the production of textiles and partly because of a new ideology that linked dress and politics in a movement towards democratization; and why by the end of the era French styles dominated women's fashions and English tailoring dominated men's fashions. A large part of the book looks at the different ways that England and France appropriated the dress of the past for a variety of political, social and cultural reasons, not only in fashion but also in social events, in art, and in official and ceremonial costumes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Ribeiro, head of the History of Dress Department at the University of London, explores 18th century fashion by examining how period artists portrayed individuals. English and French portraits from 1750-1820 are utilized to show how social and cultural changes were reflected in fashions and art depictions of the times. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (August 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300062877
• ISBN-13: 978-0300062878
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #852,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book! Lovely pictures and tremendous amount of info., April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France, 1750-1820 (Hardcover)

Art of Dress is essential in its information about the evolution of men's and women's clothing from 1750 to 1820. I bought this book in helping me to research the empire style dress of 1790s and early 1800s. It has helped me in my researching and placing me within the world of fashion during the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The fashion trends of underdress and overdress as well as hairstyles and clothing are shown in excess in this fabulous book. There are marvelous pictures of royalty of France (Empress Josephine Bonaparte) and her sisters. It is a definite 10 in my book!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous reference material, December 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France, 1750-1820 (Hardcover)

I have so many costume history books that I have a hard time remembering which is which. This one stands out. It's one of my favorites. The photos are fabulous. The book shows not only high fashion of the time, it also has a whole chapter on fancy dress, or masquerade costumes from the period. Here are reproductions of paintings like the one by Gainsborough of the Hon. Frances Duncombe, a beautiful lady all done up in an 18th century version of 16th century costume. All I can say is it's a great book with images that you will not find anywhere else.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visual Feast, August 19, 2003

By 

yardoftin "mailcoach" (Attica, KS USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France, 1750-1820 (Hardcover)

The Art of Dress uses paintings from the period 1750 to 1820 to place period examples of clothing before the reader's eyes. Fashions from Rocco splendor through the Directorate's simple classicism are paraded before our eyes in exquisite reproductions of numerous paintings. The text of the book provides an informed overview of the period with enough detail to bring the time alive. My only complaint is that a very little more detail would have better conveyed the changes and vogues in fashion during this exciting and varied period in fashion history. This is an excellent book that narrowly misses setting a benchmark.