Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey (Paperback)

by Alison Gernsheim (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Noted photo-historian documents bonnets, capes, caps, shawls, bodices and crinolines as people actually wore them—from 1840 to 1914. 235 early photos show aristocrats and the middle class (as well as Oscar Wilde, Lily Langtry, G. B. Shaw, Queen Victoria, etc.). A commentary and annotations to the photos describe and identify the costumes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (January 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486242056
• ISBN-13: 978-0486242057
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,729 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Textiles & Costume
  #15 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Textile & Costume
  #59 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Graphic Design > Commercial > Fashion Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why didn't Amazon recommend this sooner?, May 23, 2002

By	Margaret P Harvey (Charlottesville, Va United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have bought (and loved) several costume research books on the Victorian/Edwardian era. Fashion plate oriented books, most notably "Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from 'La Mode Illustree'", are great for research, but for true visual aides, the photographs found in this book are indispensable. The photos range from amateur snapshots to posed, professionally done portraits. With an almost equal distribution of male and female subjects, this book may be the best guide to authentic Victorian and Edwardian costume. Unlike fashion plates, the photos show costumes for a variety of occasions and suitable for different ages and sizes. Spanning the entire Victorian and Edwardian eras, you can locate most popular styles within the tons of black and white photos. For realism, check out this book. If you are more interested in the latest in fashion of the time, check out "Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from 'La Mode Illustree'". A great source!

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great selection of victorian photographs, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This book is perfect for anyone interested in the Victorian Era. The book is full of beautiful pictures, and each one has its own caption. The pictures are all in order by year, so its fun to see how the dresses and hairstyles slowly changed from 1840-1910. Besides pictures, there is also alot of interesting reading. You get to learn all about men, women, and children's fashions of this era.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advanced, easy and fun reading on fashion of this period, January 22, 1999

By A Customer

I love this book, have read it before in the earlier edition (Fashion and reality.) as I haven't read them paralelly I take their word for it that this edition is revised. All the elements I appreciated are still there.Beautifull, clear photographs with every detail showing.Blocks of text on the fashion in generall. Comments on the changes of fashion and how different factors interlink, obvius once pointed out but not seen in many other books. Such as who leads fashion, follows the main stream or is allready out of fashion, and why! Individuall short texts for each photo, wich points out what can bee studied in this particular picture.That in the same photo a person may wear warying items, in fashion different years, and you must look for the youngest element in order to date it. A clear deffinition of the aim and boundrys of the book, notes to quotations, index, and a bibliography all adds upp to an impression of a reliabel and abel author who has researched the subject thorougly. In addition she manages to write an english that is fun and easy to read even for me who does not have it as my first language.