Customer Reviews

80 Godey's Full-Color Fashion Plates (1838-1880)

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While it would be rare to find a Godey's book with every fashion print in it, this book gives you an excellent variety of the best dresses from Godey's. The descriptions give an idea of color mixes, fabric and decoration. This book is a great reference tool for the Lady Civil War or Mid-Victorian Reenactor or Costume Designer.

If you purchased this book, as I did, so that you could see how the dresses actually looked in 1838-1880, you will be SORELY DISAPPOINTED. The BEST VIEW YOU WILL HAVE IS THE ONE FROM THE COVER OF THE BOOK!

The MAIN problem,(and there are others) is that the author has squeezed FOUR, FIVE or SIX LADIES in VOLUMINOUS DRESSES on ONE PAGE, THUS COVERING UP THE DRESSES YOU HOPED TO SEE! Many times she has also included a CHILD or TWO to cover up more. The book also has an UNNECESSARILY GENEROUS WHITE SPACE surrounding the ladies. The ladies faces, up to Plate 19, look like MASKS and nothing HUMAN, and are very distracting. There is COLOR on the cover, no such
luck inside. Well, you could call it color but I would NOT!

I purchased this book because my GrandMother and her sister had their own dressmaking business in the late 1800's, including designing clothing for the wife of the Governor of their state. I wanted to see the types of clothing they may have made. I should have stopped at the cover of this book!

If you want to see a FANTASTIC ARRAY of clothing from 1837 to 1901 TOM TIERNEY'S GREAT FASHION DESIGNS of the VICTORIAN ERA & his SEVERAL HUNDRED other books is the place to go. IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS: THEY ARE BOOKS OF PAPER DOLLS!
Books, printed on extremely high quality paper and in exquisite design & color. It is a PLEASURE TO SEE HIS BOOKS - usually priced at $6.95 through Amazon.com.

I have 8 prints that don't appear in the book from 1865-1870. Want to find more info about my prints to include their value (at least an estimate). Pictures in the book are beautiful and pretty true to the actual work...except the real ones have a little "browner" paper. The history in the beginning is also very well done, and helpful in knowing the art. Thanks JoAnne.