"This Dover edition, first published in 2010, is an unabridged republication of How to Make Historic American Costumes, originally published by A. S. Barnes and Company, New York, in 1942."

Practical, informative guidebook shows how to create everything from short tunics worn by Saxon men in the fifth century to a lady's bustle dress of the late 1800s. 81 illustrations.

This well-researched guide traces the evolution of English fashion for men and women through hundreds of illustrations. More than a history of style, it's a dressmaker's delight, filled with scaled-down patterns for 67 authentic costumes.

This is a new release of the original 1942 edition.

Subtitle on cover: Pattern cutting from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

This practical guide to historical costume is essential for anyone planning to create accurate period costumes for theatrical productions or historical reenactments. From the short tunics of Saxon men of the fifth century to a lady's bustle dress of the late nineteenth century, this richly illustrated work offers an abundance of authentic patterns. Details of pattern sizes, required materials, and sewing methods accompany simple diagrams for Elizabethan doublets, capes, and trunks; a coat and vest from the Restoration; a bell-shaped gown of the eighteenth century; an early nineteenth-century empire gown; a crinoline; and many other items. Diagrams are accurately drawn to scale from working patterns, and there are suggestions for the most suitable colors and textures for costumes of different historical periods. Students of costume design, tailors, and community theater groups will welcome this carefully researched guidebook to fifteen centuries of English costume.

Ranging from the elegant garments worn by citizens of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to the dramatic clothing of nineteenth-century French, English, and German societies, this stunning pictorial encyclopedia chronicles the full sweep of historic dress through the centuries. Carefully gathered from a rare portfolio originally published in 1906, over one thousand detailed engravings are presented here in a continuous chronological format. An unparalleled history of costume design, this collection includes the garb of kings and laborers ... ladies and warriors ... peasants and priests. Scores of accessories are also illustrated, including shoes, jewelry, wigs, and hair ornaments, along with furniture, musical instruments, and weaponry from a fascinating array of time periods. Exquisitely rendered and magnificent in scope, the Pictorial Encyclopedia of Historic Costume is a visual delight for designers, artists, historians, and everyone captivated by fashion's timeless allure.