A History of Costume (Dover Fashion and Costumes)

Amazing that the original author's name is listed without the names of the editor and translator.

Author Carl Kohler died in 1876 near Nurnberg, Germany. His paintings and writings, upon which this particular reprint of a compilation are based, were previously published, intact, in German under the names "Die Trachten der Volker in Bild und Schnitt" and "Die Entwicklung der Tracht in Deutschland wahrend des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit", both in the late 1870s.

Emma Von Sichart, the editor of this publication, took it upon herself in the early 1920s to gather up Kohler's sketches, drawings, paintings, and writings, and put them together in a new book. During the process, she deleted almost all of Kohler's introductory or period descriptive writings, and replaced those words with either her own, or Max von Boehn's, another historian.

In addition, Emma Von Sichart added new, contemporary photographs and sketches to bring Kohler's work "up to date", at least as far as the very late 1920s. In many places she eliminated or changed Kohler's measurements, or interpretations of the cut of clothing, simply to make the work more "accessible" to the seamstress, costumer, or interested reader of the early 20th century.

Further, in order to bring the publication to English speaking markets, Emma Von Sichart's writing was translated by Alexander K. Dallas, M.A., which might have further changed the original content.

So, before we blame Kohler, who, in his time, was very highly regarded as a serious historian and quite the expert in period clothing, styles, customs, etc., we must first look to the likelihood of errors created by the editor Emma Von Sichart, and the translation errors of Alexander K. Dallas.

If by any chance you have the original German publications of the late 1870s, you do indeed have a spectacular rare treat of period costume history.

Just keep in mind that this particular book is a facsimile reprint of a translation of a heavily edited and recompiled selection of at least two originals.

The text of this book is dry, but very informative. There are many sketched and black and white illustrations, but not enough to fully support the text. (I recommend Boucher's 20,000 Years of Fashion as a companion). The patterns give a better idea of the construction of the clothes, but they are approximations and no tips are given for making your own. Make sure you refer to other sources before using his patterns. This book is most useful for its detailed descriptions of specific periods, including not just the cut and style of the period, but also material, shoes, hairstyles, accessories, and who wore what and how and on what occasions.

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This is a decent overview of costume history from the Ancients to the mid 19th century with authentic resources (statues, portraits, extant costumes, pictures) as well as some original illustrations (be cautious with those and cross-reference, especially with women's garments and periods where the shapes are linear and the sides and bust are flattened--Kohler tends to round things out and represent the bust in a more rounded, typically 1860's style). It also contains a few patterns that are minimally useful (lack or proportion or instruction, etc.) except to understand the anatomy of the garments and how the pieces might fit together. No color pictures, but enough illustrations and primary resources to contribute to an overall sense of a period in costume history.

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This is one of the first costume references I got when I began to study the subject in college. It remains one of the first references I pull out when I need costume historical information. If you have any interest in the subject you should have this book.

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This was somewhat helpful in my study of vintage clothing. It is not as helpful for my needs as The Dictionary of Costume and Fashion.

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