Textiles and Clothing : Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, c.1150-c.1450 [Hardcover]

Elisabeth Crowfoot (Author), Frances Pritchard (Author), Kay Staniland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001 | Series: Medieval Finds from Excavations in London (Book 4)

Among the most evocative items to be discovered by archaeologists are the scraps of silk and wool and other fabrics that signal so eloquently their owner's status and concerns. Such clothing and textile finds have figured prominently in excavations of medieval sites in London in the past two decades; they have included knitting, tapestries, silk hair-nets and elaborately patterned oriental, Islamic and Italian fabrics, which reveal for the first time the wide range of cloths available to medieval Londoners; there are beautifully made buttons, and buttonholes and edgings which display superb craftsmanship and a high level of needlework skills; the way that clothes were cut and sewn can be studied in detail. This highly readable account will be of wide general interest; dress historians and archaeologists will also find a wealth of new insights into the fashions, clothing and textile industries of medieval England and Europe. First published in 1992 Contents include: The Excavations, Techniques used in Textile Production, Wool Textiles, Goathair Textiles, Linen Textiles, Silk Textiles, Mixed Cloths, Narrow Wares, Sewing Techniques and Tailoring, Dyes. THE AUTHORS Past and present staff of the Museum of London.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A model of clarity, and copiously illustrated with photographs and diagrams. It provides absolutely essential reference material for the dress historian and archaeologist, for the early textile specialist, and those interested in the tools and equipment used. TOOL AND TRADES HISTORY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER (Linda Woolley, curator of early and medieval textiles and dress, V&A Museum) Highly readable... I particularly like the 'how to' section, and the inclusion of patter lay-outs. FINDS RESEARCH GROUP

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Boydell Press (July 2001)
• Language: Italian, English
• ISBN-10: 0851158404
• ISBN-13: 978-0851158402
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,159,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Textiles & Clothing - Excellent resource!, May 6, 2000

By 

"vwoodard" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Textiles & Clothing (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London) (Paperback)

Textiles & Clothing is an Excellent resource for all who are interested in historic research of Textiles and Clothing. The book shows detailed pictures of artifacts excavated from London as well as reconstructive drawings showing weave and knitting structures. This is book 4 of the series. Others in series - Knives & Scabbards; Dress Accessories; Shoes & Pattens. All are great reference books.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Authenticists Bible, March 1, 2003

By 

Monica L. Kroger (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Textiles and Clothing : Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, c.1150-c.1450 (Hardcover)

Yes, this is it. This series of books (4 so far) is the bible as far as historical recreation is concerned. Yes, it is wonderfully detailed. Yes, it has great examples of how to make/cut/do a lot of clothing related details.. but to quote another historical author "Sometimes the Museum of London folks are just flying kites".

Take, for example, the pattern and redrawing of the fitted 14th century dress. The pattern given in MOL:T&C is from one of the Greenland tunics. In fact, according to Robin Netherton, it's a redrawing of tunic that the is attributed as a man's tunic that isn't particularly fitted. There just isn't enough evidence to say that a tunic from Greenland is a good indication of fashion in mainland Europe.

That said, this is a fantastic resource. It should be in every recreationists library. But reader beware not everything in it is exactly 100% accurate.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Persons Trash is Researchers Treasure, January 29, 2003

By 

"[e-mail]" (Cobourg, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Textiles and Clothing : Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, c.1150-c.1450 (Hardcover)

Focusing on the excavations of clothing and textile reminants of Mediaeval London, this book reveals the vast range of fabrics available in Mediaeval London. The book also looks at the weaves of textiles, the craftmanship and needlework skills. This book is definately an interesting read for historians, re-enactors, and costume enthusiasts.