Clothing Through American History

Gr 9 Up—In this meticulously researched companion to Ann Buermann Wass and Michelle Webb Fandrich's Clothing Through American History: The Federal Era Through Antebellum, 1786–1860 (Greenwood, 2010), Stamper and Condra provide exhaustive coverage of late-19th-century American fashion by analyzing how trends were influenced by age, gender, ethnicity, etc. While the writing is clear and straightforward, the massive detail concerning a relatively narrow time span makes this book largely impractical for all but the most serious students. Not only are the fashions evaluated, but so too are tangential topics such as birth control and sanitary products. Another of these, laundering, is described fastidiously: "If staining from spilled or splashed materials was the problem, the remedies depended to a large extent on the staining agent as well as the textile fiber." Several paragraphs ensue describing various stain dilemmas and remedies: oily vs. liquid stains, rubbing vs. blotting, and so on. The plethora of subject-specific terms (busks, chemisettes, foulard) are in bold font and defined within the context of the writing. They also appear in the glossary, which lacks a pronunciation guide but includes additional terms not found in the narrative. Although fashion history is a subject for which visual aids are useful, if not essential, the illustrations in this title are remarkably lackluster, with one small black-and-white photograph or drawing appearing every three to six pages. The eight-page full-color inset includes only 14 illustrations. For a more engaging, youth-friendly study, consider the eight-volume "Costume & Fashion Source Books" (Chelsea House).—Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Library, NC