A History of Costume (Dover Fashion and Costumes) [Paperback]

Carl Kohler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Fashion and Costumes | Publication Date: June 1, 1963

Egypt, Babylon, Greece up through 19th-century Europe; based on surviving pieces, art work, much more. Includes many clear, measured patterns for reproducing historic costumes. Full text. 595 illustrations. "...landmark in the field of Western European costume...exceptional value for its price." — American Artist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486210308
• ISBN-13: 978-0486210308
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Textiles & Costume
  • #63 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > German
  • #68 in Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Textile & Costume

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reprint of the revised, edited, amalgamated 1928 compilation, February 25, 2006

By 

PK in PT (Olympic Peninsula) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Costume (Dover Fashion and Costumes) (Paperback)

Amazing that the original author's name is listed without the names of the editor and translator.

Author Carl Kohler died in 1876 near Nurnberg, Germany. His paintings and writings, upon which this particular reprint of a compilation are based, were previously published, intact, in German under the names "Die Trachten der Volker in Bild und Schnitt" and "Die Entwicklung der Tracht in Deutschland wahrend des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit", both in the late 1870s.

Emma Von Sichart, the editor of this publication, took it upon herself in the early 1920s to gather up Kohler's sketches, drawings, paintings, and writings, and put them together in a new book. During the process, she deleted almost all of Kohler's introductory or period descriptive writings, and replaced those words with either her own, or Max von Boehn's, another historian.

In addition, Emma Von Sichart added new, contemporary photographs and sketches to bring Kohler's work "up to date", at least as far as the very late 1920s. In many places she eliminated or changed Kohler's measurements, or interpretations of the cut of clothing, simply to make the work more "accessible" to the seamstress, costumer, or interested reader of the early 20th century.

Further, in order to bring the publication to English speaking markets, Emma Von Sichart's writing was translated by Alexander K. Dallas, M.A., which might have further changed the original content.

So, before we blame Kohler, who, in his time, was very highly regarded as a serious historian and quite the expert in period clothing, styles, customs, etc., we must first look to the likelihood of errors created by the editor Emma Von Sichart, and the translation errors of Alexander K. Dallas.

If by any chance you have the original German publications of the late 1870s, you do indeed have a spectacular rare treat of period costume history.

Just keep in mind that this particular book is a facsimile reprint of a translation of a heavily edited and recompiled selection of at least two originals.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Handle with Care!, December 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A History of Costume (Dover Fashion and Costumes) (Paperback)

This can be an aggravating book. On the plus side, Kohler includes pictures of a great many extant garments, which are invaluable as a resource (the book's value as a source rises considerably after 1500 for this reason). On the other hand, there are many "patterns"--especially in the medieval period--which, unless you read carefully, can be interpreted as being taken from extant garments, and the introduction claims almost outright that these diagrams are "correct." They are not, being instead Kohler's own hypotheses. Many of them do not work as patterns. I have known many a beginner who took these diagrams as gospel and have ended up with nothing resembling an actual medieval garment. Use the illustrations (but not the "patterns") and the book can have some degree of usefulness.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good detailed reference, September 30, 2000

By 

Jennifer Davis-Wilson "Jen DW" (Menlo Park, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Costume (Dover Fashion and Costumes) (Paperback)

The text of this book is dry, but very informative. There are many sketched and black and white illustrations, but not enough to fully support the text. (I recommend Boucher's 20,000 Years of Fashion as a companion). The patterns give a better idea of the construction of the clothes, but they are approximations and no tips are given for making your own. Make sure you refer to other sources before using his patterns. This book is most useful for its detailed descriptions of specific periods, including not just the cut and style of the period, but also material, shoes, hairstyles, accessories, and who wore what and how and on what occasions.