Victims of fashion : animal commodities in Victorian Britain / Helen Louise Cowie, University of York.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cowie, Helen (Helen Louise), author.

Series:

Science in history (Cambridge University Press)

Science in history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fashion--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Fashion.

Animal products--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Animal products.

Clothing and dress--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Clothing and dress.

Great Britain--Social life and customs--19th century.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 290 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Summary:

Animal products were used extensively in nineteenth-century Britain. A middle-class Victorian woman might wear a dress made of alpaca wool, drape herself in a sealskin jacket, brush her hair with a tortoiseshell comb, and sport feathers in her hat. She might entertain her friends by playing a piano with ivory keys or own a parrot or monkey as a living fashion accessory. In this innovative study, Helen Cowie examines the role of these animal-based commodities in Britain in the long nineteenth century and traces their rise and fall in popularity in response to changing tastes, availability, and ethical concerns. Focusing on six popular animal products - feathers, sealskin, ivory, alpaca wool, perfumes, and exotic pets - she considers how animal commodities were sourced and processed, how they were marketed and how they were consumed. She also assesses the ecological impact of nineteenth-century fashion.

Contents:

Introduction

Murderous millinery

The seal and his jacket

Is the elephant following the dodo?

Silk of the Andes

Bitter perfumes

Monkey Business

Conclusion.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 01 Nov 2021).

ISBN:

9781108852272

1108852270

9781108858083

1108858082

9781108861267

1108861261

OCLC:

1493000693