Shoes, Hats and Fashion Accessories: A Pictorial Archive, 1850-1940 (Dover Pictorial Archive Series) (Paperback)

by Carol Belanger Grafton (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Over, 1,500 detailed cuts—selected from Harper’s Bazaar, La Mode Illustrée, Life, The Delineator, and other vintage publications—span nearly 100 years of fashion history. On display are delightful examples of Victorian footwear and millinery, beaded handbags from the early 20th century, stylish high-heeled evening shoes from the 1920s, and much more. Charming, copyright-free spots for graphic artists and designers; an engaging window to the past for casual browsers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; illustrated edition edition (January 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486401030
• ISBN-13: 978-0486401034
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #588,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shoes, Hats and Fashion Accessories, August 14, 2000

By	R. Harju "rusa5" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from the viewpoint of a home sewer and crafter who adores vintage clothing, not a fashion historian, designer or illustrator.

Never having purchased any of the Pictorial Archives series before, I was surprised and initially disappointed by the black and white illustrations and the complete lack of text.

While it is fascinating to see how fashion accessories evolved over the decades there is no indication of whether an item was casual and day wear, or dressier for afternoon or evening. An index naming the style of each piece and/or notes explaining popular colors of the day would be helpful.

The black and white illustrations do render the detail of the accessories beautifully. With over 2,000 copyright free illustrations of wide variety of styles for men, women and children included I look forward to years of inspiration for fashion embellishment.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What about descriptions?, September 18, 2000

By	"dsnca" (San Diego, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This book has lovely pictures, although the author admits she has taken the liberty to decide which should be included for each year. It would be an even better book if the articles were named, better yet a small description, sometimes I wondered if a shoe were a man or woman's.

I think the book is good but stops short of being great but it is interesting and I would like to a sequel with the other drawings that were left out of this edition.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, January 2, 2004

By	A. Ivins (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is exactly what it claims to be - a pictorial archive. For descriptions or details, Dover has a wide selection of books that will be of immense help with materials, construction, and history. For those who already have a working knowledge of the century in fashion, this book is a candy store of visual tidbits.

Just a note: very few fashion illustrations of the nineteenth century were colored; hand-coloring was a labor-intensive process reserved for high-end publications with limited runs. Check my Listmania list for some books with color illustrations.