Fashion collects the histories of costume, dress, and adornment that trace clothing as both material culture and social statement. The great illustrated costume histories of the nineteenth century — surveying dress from ancient Egypt through medieval Europe to the fashions of their own day — share space with essays on dress reform, the aesthetics of textiles, and the anthropology of adornment, all available as free EPUB downloads.
The shelf reveals how seriously Victorian and Edwardian scholars took fashion as a historical subject: sumptuary laws, trade in cloth and dye, the gendered politics of the corset, and the global circulation of textile techniques all receive sustained attention. For historians of material culture, gender, and everyday life, this is an unusually rich corner of the public-domain archive.
- Textiles and ClothingKate Heintz Watson
- Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820)Alice Morse Earle
- Jewels and the woman: The romance, magic and art of feminine adornmentMarianne Ostier
- Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance PeriodP. L. Jacob
- Women's Bathing and Swimming Costume in the United StatesClaudia Brush Kidwell
- A dictionary of men's wearWilliam Henry Baker
- Self-instructor in the art of hair work, dressing hair, making curls, switches, braids, and hair jewelry of every description.Mark Campbell
- Chats on CostumeG. Woolliscroft Rhead
- The history of fashion in FranceAugustin Challamel
- The corset and the crinolineWilliam Barry Lord
- English CostumeDion Clayton Calthrop
- Modern Design in Jewellery and Fans
- The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of ClothesWilfred Mark Webb
- Woman as DecorationEmily Burbank
- Origin and Early History of the Fashion PlateJ. L. Nevinson
- Costume: Fanciful, Historical and TheatricalMrs. Aria
- The American Gentleman's Guide to Politeness and Fashion / or, Familiar Letters to his NephewsMargaret C. Conkling
- Seven Centuries of LaceMaria Margaret Pollen
- Umbrellas and Their HistoryWilliam Sangster
- Needlework Economies: A Book of Mending and Making with Oddments and Scraps
- Straw Hats: Their history and manufactureHarry Inwards
- Le Pantalon FémininPierre Dufay
- Dress designTalbot Hughes
- Germany from the Earliest Period, Volume 4Wolfgang Menzel
- The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing / Lectures Delivered Before the Hat Manufacturers' AssociationWatson Smith
- Textile Fabrics / A Descriptive Catalogue of the Collection of Church-vestments, Dresses, Silk Stuffs, Needlework and Tapestries, forming that Section of the MuseumDaniel Rock
- The Evolution of FashionFlorence Mary Gardiner
- Graham's Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 6, June 1842Various
- In Vanity Fair: A Tale of Frocks and FemininityEleanor Hoyt Brainerd
- Habits and men, with remnants of record touching the makers of bothDr. Doran
- Clothing and Health: An Elementary Textbook of Home MakingHelen Kinne
- Greek dressEthel Beatrice Abrahams
- Paris and the Parisians in 1835 (Vol. 2)Frances Milton Trollope
- The Mirror of the Graces / Containing General Instructions for Combining Elegance, Simplicity, and Economy with Fashion in Dress; Hints on Female Accomplishments and Manners; and Directions for the Preservation of Health and Beautyactive 19th century Lady of distinction
- The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 / Consisting of Novel, Elegant, and Useful Designs in Knitting, Netting, Crochet, Braiding, and Embroidery, with Clear and Explicit Directions for Working the PatternsUnknown
- Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, June, 1854Various
- Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, No. XVIII, April, 1854Various
- Emma McChesney and Co.Edna Ferber
- Dress as a Fine Art, with Suggestions on Children's DressMary P. Merrifield
- Ancient Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian costumes and decorationsMary G. Houston
- Gloves, Past and PresentWillard M. Smith
- Make your own hatsGene Allen Martin
- Baltimore Hats, Past and PresentWilliam Tufts Brigham
- Knitted and Crocheted BoutiqueAmerican Thread Company
- Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 42, May, 1851Various
- The Copeland methodVanness Copeland
- Garment cutting in the twentieth centuryGünther F. Hertzer
- A Treatise on Hat-Making and Felting / Including a Full Exposition of the Singular Properties of Fur, Wool, and Hairhatter John Thomson
- Mesdames Nos Aïeules: dix siècles d'élégancesAlbert Robida
- The Philosophy of Beards / A Lecture Physiological, Artistic & HistoricalThomas S. Gowing
- De Nederlandsche Nationale KleederdrachtenTheodoor Molkenboer
- The Book of the Feet: A History of Boots and ShoesJoseph Sparkes Hall
- A Hand-book of Precious StonesMeyer D. Rothschild
- Pamela Pounce: A tale of tempestuous petticoatsAgnes Castle
- Manuel complet des fabricans de chapeaux en tous genresJulia de Fontenelle
- The Sunshade, the Glove, the MuffOctave Uzanne
- Mood fashionsAmerican Thread Company
- The Art of Tying the Cravat; Demonstrated in sixteen lessonsH. Le Blanc
- An embroidery bookAnne Knox Arthur
- Good Form for All Occasions / A Manual of Manners, Dress and Entertainment for Both Men and WomenFlorence Howe Hall
- My secrets of beautyLina Cavalieri
- Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, January, 1854Various
- Dress and Look SlenderJane Warren Wells
- The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 983, October 29, 1898Various
- Appropriate Clothes for the High School GirlVirginia M. Alexander
- Fashion paradeAmerican Thread Company
- What Dress Makes of UsDorothy Quigley
- Histoire de la prostitution chez tous les peuples du monde depuis l'antiquité la plus reculée jusqu'à nos jours, tome 6/6P. L. Jacob
- Stoles: Knitted; Crocheted; Hairpin LaceAmerican Thread Company
- Simplex Munditiis, GentlemenMortimer Delano de Lannoy
- Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia, Volume 48, March, 1854Various
- Discover the Excitement of Hairpin Lace
- Stoles and shawls: hairpin lace, knitted, crochetedAmerican Thread Company
- Easy to Make Fashions: from Rochelle's Mohlon Orlon Acrylic Fiber. Volume B22.Anonymous
- Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48, February, 1854Various
- Golden Stars in Tatting and CrochetEléonore Riego de la Branchardière
- Godey's Lady's Book, Vol. 48-49, No. XVIII, May, 1854Various
- It's Fun to Sew Aprons and SkirtsTheta Johnson
- Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXX, No. 4, April 1847Various
- The Abergeldie Winter BookEléonore Riego de la Branchardière
- In Fashions: for Him, for Her, in Knits, in CrochetsAmerican Thread Company
- Bulkies [Sweaters to Knit and Crochet]American Thread Company
- Handbook on dress and cloak cuttingCharles Hecklinger
- It's Fun to Sew a Cotton School DressTheta Johnson
- L'Illustration, No. 3646, 11 Janvier 1913Various
- Jaros Hygienic Wear: The therapeutic and prophylactic application.I. Jaros
- Cameo CuttingJohn B. Marsh
- Cro-knittingBernhard Ulmann Company
- The book of hats and capsM. Elliott
- Takt und Ton im geselligen Verkehr nebst Kommandos der Quadrille à la cour und der FrançaiseRichard Rödiger
- Cycling and Shooting Knickerbocker Stockings / How to Knit Them With Plain and Fancy Turnover TopsH. P. Ryder
- The Andalusian Knitting and Netting BookEléonore Riego de la Branchardière
- The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 992, December 31, 1898Various
- Some points in choosing textilesCharlotte M. Gibbs
- L'Illustration, No. 3674, 26 Juillet 1913Various