Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

[NYCivilWar]

Hello All,

I have recently become interested in the civilian aspect of the mid- nineteenth century, and have even made a few garments. We all know of the Echoes of Glory (EOG) series that details both Federal and Confederate uniforms and gear, but is there any work out there that is equal to the EOG series on the civilian front? Many books that I have seen on period civilian garments are often only sketches of clothing not the nice full color photographs as in EOG. Maybe some of you civilian living historians could chime in here and point me in the direction of such a work, if one indeed does exist.

Thanks,
Kyle M. Stetz

[NoahBriggs]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

The closest you'll get will be museum collections, be they online or in a book.

If you are interested in the material culture aspect of the citizen's life in the War or before, specificially clothing, I'd suggest browsing the Sewing Academy Forum at www.elizabethstewartclark.com. You will get detailed tips on clothing accuracy, construction, materials and an intro to the nineteenth century. Yeah, it's run by women but fellows are allowed. Contrary to popular schoolyard belief, girls do not have cooties.*






--------------
*Pediculus humanus the body louse, as opposed to Phthirus pubis, aka "crabs".

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

Kyle-

Perhaps the time has come for a volume such as this if it doesn't exist already?

Noah-

Great W64 quote on your signature! So true... ;)


Thanks- Johnny

[Ian McWherter]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

Hello All,

I have recently become interested in the civilian aspect of the mid- nineteenth century, and have even made a few garments. We all know of the Echoes of Glory (EOG) series that details both Federal and Confederate uniforms and gear, but is there any work out there that is equal to the EOG series on the civilian front? Many books that I have seen on period civilian garments are often only sketches of clothing not the nice full color photographs as in EOG. Maybe some of you civilian living historians could chime in here and point me in the direction of such a work, if one indeed does exist.

Thanks,
Kyle M. Stetz

All Echoes of Glory does is show pictures of original uniforms, equipment, etc. and gives some very basic background info on those items. When it comes to original civilian clothing you're dealing with an incredibly different subject than military issue uniforms. After all you get to purchase the clothing you wear, or if it's made at home, it gets made to your liking and must fit into the society you live in. What age, class, region, ethic make-up, occupation, gender, taste in fashion, etc., etc., etc., all determine what kind of clothing you're going to wear; there are many psychological and sociological factors. This is no easy black and white Richmond Depot Type I, II, or III (which is somewhat silly categorizing anyways) issue, its an incredibly complex issue that no 312 pg. book is going to contain, because original civilian clothing exists in such diversity.To get a realistic picture of what Americans were wearing in the mid-19th century you must draw from a variety of sources to get a basic understanding.

If all you're seeking is images of original civilian clothing I highly recommend going out and looking at original civilian clothes themselves. Unlike Civil War Military clothing which exists in scarcity and is scattered in museums and private collections across the world (some hard to get into to look at, some not), original civilian clothing exists in abundance. Private collectors of civilian clothing like myself are all too happy to share our knowledge and collections with anyone who is curious and I'm sure there's probably someone or some museum right in your backyard with amazing collections.

Here's a short book list with an emphasis on men's clothing, some have great images of original civilian clothing some have great background information that puts everything into context:

Ready-Made Democracy A History of Men's Dress in the American Republic, 1760-1860 by Michael Zakim (this book is a MUST read for any man interested in putting together a civilian impression, it will change your entire perspective of men's clothing at that time)

Fabric of Society: A Century of People and Their Clothes, 1770-1870 Essays Inspired by the Collections at Platt Hall, the Gallery of English Costume, Manchester by Jane Tozer, Mark Cobley, Sarah Levitt

Nineteenth-Century Fashion in Detail by Lucy Johnston (lots of pretty pictures of original garments)

The History of Underclothes by C. Willett Cunnington

Handbook of English Costume in the Nineteenth Century by C. Willet Cunnington

Occupational Costume in England from the Eleventh Century to 1914 by Phillis Emily Cunnington

Thoughts on Men's Shirts in America 1750-1900 by William L. Brown III (another MUST have)

Civil War Gentlemen: 1860s Apparel Arts & Uniforms by R.L. Shep (great book with an original pattern drafting system and fashion plates)

The Cut of Men's Clothes 1600-1900 by Norah Waugh

A History of Men's Fashion by Farid Chenoune (great book)

The list could go on and on, but that's all I have time for now. As you can see there's already an overwhelming amount of academia that's already available. You might also want to check out this website it has some neat items (don't believe everything you read, just look at the pictures of the original garments): http://www.dressingup.info

[Ian McWherter]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

If you're interested in seeing great period images of civilians and the world they lived in I recommend the following books:

The Daguerreotype in America by Beaumont Newhall
My Likeness Taken Daguerreian Portraits in America, 1840-1860 by Joan Severa
Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900 by Joan L. Severa
American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs by Priscilla Harris Darlymple
Silver & Gold, Cased Images of the California Gold Rush by Drew Heath Johnson

[CYoungJSU]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

In addition the books Ian has given, take a look at:
Facing the Light: Historic American Portrait Daguerreotypes by Harold Francis Pfister
Mr. Lincoln's Camera Man: Mathew B. Brady by Roy Meredith

I have also attached some links for your perusal concerning photographic images of civilians. Like Ian said, to each his, or her, own during this time. There are many more factors to look at when researching civilian garments that could not be published in a book the size of Echoes of Glory.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/daghome.html


http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/dl_crosscollex/

Chris

[NYCivilWar]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

Noah, Johnny, Ian, and Chris,

Thank you all for the great list of websites and works on civilian clothing! It is much appreciated!

-Kyle M. Stetz

[Drygoods]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

Ian, Amazing post and list of books!:D:D

[Carolann Schmitt]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

In addition to the books Ian listed:

Adams-Graf, John. “In Rags for Riches: A Daguerreian Survey of Forty-Niner’s Clothing.” Dress. Vol. 22 (1995), 59-68
Bech, Viben. Moden 1840-1890. Denmark: Nationalmuseet og Nyt Nordisk Forlag, 1989.
Boucher, François. Histoire du costume en Occident de l'Antiquité à nos jours. Paris: Flammarion, 1965.
Buck, Anne. Victorian Costume and Costume Accessories. New York: Universe Books, 1961.
Byrd, Sue Gibson and Mary Frances Drake. “Andrew Johnson, the Tailor President.” Dress. Vol. 11 (1985), 75-89
Byrde, Penelope. Nineteenth Century Fashion. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd., 1992.
-----. The Male Image: Men’s Fashion in Britain, 1300-1970. London: B.T. Batsford, Ltd., 1979
Chaille, Francois. The Book of Ties. New York, Flammarion
Cobrin, Harry A. The Men’s Clothing Industry: Colonial through Modern Times. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1970
Colle, Doriece. Collars…Stocks…Cravats: A History and Costume Dating Guide to Civilian Men’s Neckpieces 1655-1900. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1972.
Compaing, Charles. The Tailor’s Guide: A Complete System of Cutting Every Kind of Garment to Measure, Containing Upwards of Five Hundred Diagrams. Two Volumes. London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1855-1856.
Conkling, Margaret. The American Gentlemen’s Guide to Politeness and Fashion. New York: Derby and Jackson, 1857
Cunningham, Patricia A. “Eighteenth Century Nightgowns: The Gentleman’s Robe in Art and Fashion.” Dress. Vol. 10 (1984), 2-11.
Davenport, Milia. The Book of Costume. New York: Crown Publishers, 1948.
Davis, R.L. Men’s Garments 1830-1900, a Guide to Pattern Cutting and Tailoring. Studio City, CA: Player’s Press, 1994.
de Marly, Diana. Fashion for Men: An Illustrated History. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1985.
Devere, Louis. The Handbook of Practical Cutting on the Centre Point System (1866). Revised and enlarged edition edited by R.L. Shep. Mendocino, CA: R.L.Shep, 1986.
Doyle, Robert. The Art of the Tailor. Stratford, Ontario: Sartorial Press Publications, 2005.
Eckstein, E. and G. Firkins. Gentlemen’s Dress Accessories. UK: Shire Publications, 1994.
Fenelly, Catherine. The Garb of Country New Englanders 1790-1840: Costumes at Old Sturbridge Village. Sturbridge, MA: Old Sturbridge Inc., 1966
Fischel, Oskar and Max von Boehm. Modes and Manners of the Nineteenth Century as Represented in the Pictures and Engravings of the Time. Volume 3, 1843-1878. London: J.M. Dent, 1909.
Garnett, Oliver and Penelope Byrde. The Museum of Costume and Assembly Rooms, Bath. Bath, England: Bath City Council in association with The National Trust, 1994.
Gehret, Ellen J. Rural Pennsylvania Clothing: Being a Study of the Wearing Apparel of the German and English Inhabitants in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century. York, PA: George Shumway, 1976.
Gernsheim, Alison. Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey. 1963. New York: Dover, 1981.
Ginsburg, Madeleine. Victorian Dress in Photographs. New York: Homes and Meier, 1982.
Hasluck, P.N. Tailor’s Guide. Reprint. Williamsburg, VA: Rick Haven, 1994.
Henderson, Debbie. Cowboys & Hatters. Kent, OH: Wild Goose Press, 1996.
Kahn, Philip Jr. A Stitch in Time: The Four Seasons of Baltimore’s Needle Trades. Baltimore, MD: The Maryland Historical Society, 1989.
Kidwell, Claudia B. and Christman, Margaret C. Suiting Everyone: The Democratization of Clothing in America. Washington: Published for the National Museum of History and Technology by the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974.
Kuchta, David M. "Graceful, Virile and Useful": The origins of the three-piece suit." Dress 17 (1990), 118-126.
Lambert, Miles. Fashion in Photographs 1860-1880. London: B.T. Batsford, 1991
Lindmier, Tom and Steve Mount. I See by Your Outfit: Historic Cowboy Gear of the Northern Plains. Cheyenne, WY: High Plains Press, 1996.
Luchetti, Cathy. Men of the West: Life on the American Frontier. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004.
Mackay-Smith, Alexander , Jean Druesedow and Thomas Ryder. Man and the Horse. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Maglio, Diane. "Luxuriant Crowns: Victorian Men's Smoking Caps, 1850-1890." Dress 27 (2000): 9-17.
Martin, Richard and Harold Koda. Swords into Ploughshares. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995.
-----. Two by Two. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996.
Morra, Marisa. "Silent Informers: Men's Coats from a 19th Century Period of Transition." Dress 11 (1985: 68-76.
Murray, Anne. "From Breeches to Sherryvallies." Dress 2 (1976): 16-33.
Peacock, John. Men’s Fashion, the Complete Sourcebook. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996.
Perrot, Phillippe. Fashioning the Bourgeoisie: A History of Clothing in the Nineteenth Century. Trans. Richard Bienvenu. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994.
Shannon, Brent. The Cut of His Coat: Men, Dress, and Consumer Culture in Britain, 1860-1914. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2006.
Shep, R.L., Ed. Early Victorian Men. Fort Bragg, CA: R.L.Shep, 2001.
Shep, R.L. and Gail Cariou. Shirts & Men’s Haberdashery 1840s to 1920s. Mendocino, CA: R.L. Shep, 1999.
Walker, Richard. Savile Row: An Illustrated History. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.
Williams-Mitchell, Christobel. Dressed for the Job: The Story of Occupational Costume. Poole, UK: Blandford Press, 1982.
Wright, Merideth. Put On Thy Beautiful Garments: Rural New England Clothing. East Montpelier, VT: The Clothes Press, 1990.

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

A few great "eye candy" websites:

The Victoria and Albert Museum collection:

http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/page/Home.html

The Whitaker Auction:

http://www.whitakerauction.com

The Daguerreian Society NEA database:

http://daguerreian.org/fm3/galleries.php

[Ken Knopp]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

As they say....."on another forum"....this subject was brooched to some extent. It compelled me to search (engine) the learned group here and I was fortunate enough to find this thread. Wonderful places to go and things to read!!! Having said that I thought I might add one more.....

In my humble opinion, the "very best in general" read on the civilian aspect of pre-war America would have to be AMERICA'S AFFLUENT AGE, by Floyd and Marion Rinhart. South Brunswick and New York, A.S. Barnes and Co., London, 1971. Chock full of multitudes of rarely published photos, lengthy descriptions and analysis on everything American in the first half of the 19th century including....Life in the City, A glimpse of the rural East, (in the north), South, West,.... Politics, Religion, education, the Arts, inventions, transportation, the innovative, Love and Marriage, Medicine, fads and quackery, fashions and so much more!! The VERY BEST read for learning what a mature, enlightened civilian of the 1850's would inherently know about America.
HAs anyone here read it?

Ken R Knopp

[Marc]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

Here is the Link R.L. Shep publications

http://www.rlshep.com/

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

A few great "eye candy" websites:

The Victoria and Albert Museum collection:

http://images.vam.ac.uk/indexplus/page/Home.html

The Whitaker Auction:

http://www.whitakerauction.com

The Daguerreian Society NEA database:

http://daguerreian.org/fm3/galleries.php

More eye candy:

http://finedags.com/salon.shtm

[Ian McWherter]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

More eye candy:

http://finedags.com/salon.shtm

Eye candy for those interested in putting together largely prewar 1840s-1850s impressions. Not much help for those interested in developing wartime citizen's impressions, unless it's to understand what came before. There are big differences between men's fashions of the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s. Even if someone is unable to tell those differences apart in photos, they become incredibly apparent when you sit down and examine the original garments themselves. Context is everything in developing a good citizen's impression, you cannot cherry pick those elements of men's fashion you like from the 1840s-1860s and combine them all into your 1863 outfit. Otherwise you'll have a very nice fantasy Gangs of New York impression.

What does a photograph tell you anyways unless you understand the context of that photo? Who is that person? Where are they from? There are lots of neat clothing and accessory items shown, but would any of them be appropriate for my impression? There are original photographs from the 1840s and 1850s that I'll never share on this forum, because they show things that people will not understand in context. God, the trends they could start...

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Civilian form of Echoes of Glory??

Eye candy for those interested in putting together largely prewar 1840s-1850s impressions.

FineDags sells a variety of images from different timelines - click around in their archives and you will discover CDVs and other 1860s images.