The Library Ghost

    The ratio of dressmaking manuals to tailoring manuals seems larger than in some periods, with a flurry of publication in the mid- to late years of the decade.  I assume this has something to do with the rise of the sewing machine and home-dressmaking; in addition, women's garments are mainly tailored in the late 19th century instead of draped, so there isn't as great a distinction between the two trades as there once was.      By the way, if anyone has the name of the printer for T. W. Byrnes' book (or any of the others which are missing info), I'd love to know. General information      Christner, D. C. The International Encyclopedia of Scientific Tailor Principles . Philadelphia, PA: S. M. Larzelere, 1885.      Kirkwood, Louise J. Illustrated Sewing Primer with Songs and Music . New York, NY: Wynkoop & Hallenbeck, 1881.     Ross, Mrs. Harry A. Studies in Plain Needlework and Amateur Dressmaking . Ba...

    Apparently Caulfeild and Saward are completely legitimate names, and the two of them have produced a frankly alarming number of books explaining needlework terminology, all in the same year!  There don't seem to be many macramé books before this point, though I understand it was quite popular throughout the second half of the nineteenth century; perhaps patterns were shared primarily through magazines rather than books. General information     Caulfeild, Sophia Frances Ann, and Blanche C. Saward. The Dictionary of Needlework, Vol. 1 . London: A. W. Cowan, 1885.     Caulfeild, Sophia Frances Ann, and Blanche C. Saward. The Dictionary of Needlework, Vol. 2 . London: A. W. Cowan, 1885.     Caulfeild, Sophia Frances Ann, and Blanche C. Saward. The Dictionary of Needlework, Vol. 3 . London: A. W. Cowan, 1885.     Caulfeild, Sophia Frances Ann, and Blanche C. Saward. The Dictionary of Needlework, Vol. 4 . Lond...

    The Victorian era lasted through most of the 19th century, from Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne in 1837 to her death in 1901.  This is the period that saw the introduction of the telegraph, the electric light bulb, the pasteurization process, aniline dyes, photography, the sewing machine, the typewriter, and association football (called "soccer" in the USA).  Fashions and technology were greatly changed by the end of Victoria's reign, and the British Empire claimed some 400 million people on six continents as its subjects. General information      Draper, Jenny. " A Deep Dive Into Victorian Servants ." YouTube . May 9, 2022.      Kellgren-Fozard, Jessica. " Victorian Lesbians?! // Queer History ." YouTube . June 29, 2022.      Rudolph, Nicole. " Why Victorian Etiquette was so ✨Extra✨ ." YouTube . August 10, 2024. Arts and architecture      Draper, Jenny. " The Largest Building In The World ...

    The Victorian era in Britain and Ireland covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901.  During that time, fashions changed dramatically as Britain became a global empire, with control of Egypt, India, Canada, Hong Kong, and parts of the Caribbean.  As immigration soared and London became the largest city in the world, anxiety about non-English "colonials" polluting English culture or bloodlines was at an all-time high.  Industry moved from small family businesses run out of the home to mass manufacturing in urban factories.  Handcrafts waned during the middle of Victoria's reign, only to return in romanticized "vintage" or "authentic" forms at the end of the century. General information      BBC Archive. " 1970: VICTORIAN TEENAGERS reminisce | Yesterday's Witness | Voice of the People | BBC Archive ." YouTube . Posted April 30, 2022.     HistoryExtra. " Child labour and BREADWINNERS | Ruth Goodman on family lif...

    The end of the nineteenth century covers the late Victorian era, the Gilded Age, the American "Wild West," and early Jim Crow laws.  Fashions of the time included the First and Second Bustle eras, the Natural Form era, and the Aesthetic Movement. General information      Banner, Bernadette. " Exposing Victorian Influencers Who 'Facetuned' Their Photos. (Photo Manipulation was EVERYWHERE) ." YouTube . July 17, 2021.      Cox, Abby. " Victorians were ✨Obsessed✨ with Ugly Children... " YouTube . August 13, 2023.      Rowe, Kaz. " Did the Victorians Think Ankles Were Too Scandalous? " YouTube . September 8, 2021.      Rudolph, Nicole. " How much clothing did they *actually* have back then? " YouTube . June 15, 2024.      Zebrowska, Karolina. " Victorian Fashion Is Not What You Think It Is ." YouTube . March 19, 2019. Accessories      Banner, Bernadette. " 'Afro-Victorian': Bri...

    These are colored fashion plates from early 1880s issues of Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine , hosted by the Internet Archive.  I may do other eras of fashion plates, since they are fairly simple to whip up, as opposed to embroidery patterns; it all depends on what I can find.  Overall, I think the ones I've collected so far paint a pretty accurate picture of what middle- and upper-class ladies in the greater Philadelphia area would have been wearing in the early part of the decade, during the Natural Form Era. 1880      —. " Godey's Fashions for January 1880 ." Godey's Lady's Book , vol. 100, no. 1 (Jan. 1880).      —. " Godey's Fashions for February 1880 ." Godey's Lady's Book , vol. 100, no. 2 (Feb. 1880).      —. " Godey's Fashions for March 1880 ." Godey's Lady's Book , vol. 100, no. 3 (Mar. 1880).      —. " Godey's Fashions for April 1880 ." Godey's Lady's Book ...

    Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine contain some actual sewing patterns, although many are simply illustrations of the finished product with a brief description.  The garments, however, are proper patterns which can be sized up. Aprons and bibs      Weaver, Jane. " Baby's Feeding-Bib ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 83, no. 3 (Mar. 1883), p. 259.      Weaver, Jane. " Pocket Apron, for Work ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 80, no. 1 (Jul. 1881), p. 81. Garments      May, Emily H. " Habit-Basque ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 81, no. 4 (April 1882), p. 409.      May, Emily H. " Paletot à Pelerine: With Supplement ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 82, no. 5 (Nov. 1882), pp. 396–397.      May, Emily H. " Polonaise Pattern: With Supplement ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 80, no. 3 (Sept. 1881), pp. 231–232.      May, Emily H. " Riding-Habit: With Diagram ." Peterson's Magazine , vol...

     These are all taken from Peterson's Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book ; in theory I could do other decades, but there is so much out there that I may just do one more for the 1920s and stop there.  Never fear, 1880s fans—I still have fashion plates and sewing patterns to do! Antimacassars      Weaver, Jane. " Antimaccassar: With Detail ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 79, no. 3 (Mar. 1881), p. 241.      Weaver, Jane. " Antimacassar, or Counterpane ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 82, no. 6 (Dec. 1882), p. 484–485. Bags, purses, and chatelaines     Weaver, Jane. " Chatelaine Bag, in Embroidery ." Peterson's Magazine , vol. 81, no. 6 (Jun. 1882), p. 484.     —. " Chatelaine Bag ." Godey's Lady's Book , vol. 100, no. 2 (Feb. 1880), p. 174.     —. " Lady's Bag ." Godey's Lady's Book , vol. 101, no. 2 (Aug. 1880), pp. 189–190. Bibs and aprons     Weaver, Jane. " Child's Dinner Bib ."...