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Clothing through American history : the British colonial era / Kathleen A. Staples and Madelyn Shaw.

Van Pelt Library GT607 .S78 2013
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Staples, Kathleen A.
Contributor:
Shaw, Madelyn.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Clothing and dress--United States--History.
Clothing and dress.
Clothing and dress--Social aspects--United States--History.
Clothing and dress--Social aspects.
History.
United States--Social life and customs--To 1775.
United States.
Manners and customs.
United States--Social conditions--To 1865.
Social conditions.
Physical Description:
xxvii, 444 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm
Place of Publication:
Santa Barbara, California : Greenwood, [2013]
Summary:
Clothing through American History: The British Colonial Era presents, in six chapters, a description of all aspects of dress in British colonial America, including the social and historical background of British America, and covering men's, women's, and children's garments. The book shows how dress reflected and evolved with life in British colonial America as primitive settlements gave way to the growth of towns, cities, and manufacturing of the pre-Industrial Revolution. Readers will discover that just as in the present day, what people wore in colonial times represented an immediate, visual form of communication that often conveyed information about the real or intended social, economic, legal, ethnic, and religious status of the wearer. The authors have gleaned invaluable information from a wide breadth of primary source materials for all of the colonies: court documents and colonial legislation; diaries, personal journals, and business ledgers; wills and probate inventories; newspaper advertisements; paintings, prints, and drawings; and surviving authentic clothing worn in the colonies. Book jacket.
Contents:
1 Settling British Colonial America 1
The People 1
The Individual and the Family 17
Health and Hygiene 21
The Economy 26
References 30
2 Society, Culture, and Dress 33
Clothing as Fashion 35
Clothing as Communication 41
Clothing and Ornamentation as Mediating Agents 51
Clothing for Social Rituals 57
Clothing and Fabrics as Currency 66
Access to Clothing 69
References 73
3 Clothing and Textile Technologies and Trades, 1607-1785 79
Clothing Technology 79
Problems in Terminology 106
Bespoke and Ready-Made Clothing 110
Imported Fabrics 133
Colonial Production of Textiles: Homespun 142
Fabric Quantities for Clothing 167
Colonial Clothing Trades and Crafts 169
References 210
4 Women's Fashion 221
1608-1714 222
The Evolution of Cut, Construction, and Silhouette, 1608-1714 222
Clothing for the Enslaved, 1620-1714 248
Clothing of American Indians, 1607-1714 249
Clothing in Portraiture, 1616-1714 251
Composition of a Wardrobe, 1608-1714 253
1715-1785 257
The Evolution of Cut, Construction, and Silhouette, 1715-1785 257
Clothing in Portraiture, 1715-1785 281
Clothing for the Enslaved, 1715-1785 283
Clothing of American Indians, 1715-1785 284
Composition of a Wardrobe, 1715-1785 285
References 289
5 Men's Clothing 295
1607-1714 296
The Evolution of Cut, Construction, and Silhouette, 1607-1714 296
Clothing for the Enslaved, 1620-1714 318
Clothing of American Indians, 1607-1714 318
Composition of a Wardrobe, 1607-1714 322
1715-1785 327
The Evolution of Cut, Construction, and Silhouette, 1715-1785 327
Clothing in Portraiture, 1751-1785 352
Clothing for the Enslaved, 1715-1785 354
Clothing of American Indians, 1715-1785 358
Composition of a Wardrobe, 1715-1785 361
References 366
6 Children's Fashions 371
Concepts of Childhood in Colonial America 372
Infants: Birth to Three Months 378
Infants and Toddlers: Three Months to Three Years 381
Girls: Three to Eleven Years, 17th Century 388
Boys: Three to Eleven Years, 17th Century 390
Girls: Three to Eleven Years, 18th Century 391
Boys: Three to Eleven Years, 18th Century 392
Children over Twelve 396
Enslaved, Apprenticed, and Indentured Children 398
American Indian Children 401
Composition of a Wardrobe 402
Availability of Children's Ready-Made Clothing 404
References 406.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9780313335938
0313335931
OCLC:
422756858

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