What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America (Williamsburg Decorative Arts) Paperback – Illustrated, February 28, 2012

This is a truly remarkable book. With fascinating detail, Baumgarten has sliced open the intricate and misunderstood fashion of the 18th and Early 19th centuries with scholarly aplomb. The photography and closeups of fabrics and accessories are simply stunning. I have already recommended this book to several author friends who write historical fiction, and will continue to do so. It's an expensive book, but worth every penny!!!

"What Clothes Reveal" is first and foremost a history of American and British wearing apparel from the 18th and early 19th centuries found in the Colonial Williamsburg collection. It is also a social history of the period illustrated by garments and accessories that allows the reader to delve beneath the outer surface silhouette seen in paintings, prints, and on museum mannequins to reveal garment construction, fit, underpinnings, alterations, and simple thrift. While many costume histories focus on a single gender and social class, "What Clothes Reveal" includes examples for men, women, and children--not only gentry but also common folk. While author Baumgarten's "Eighteenth Century Clothing at Williamsburg" was intended to be a catalog of the collection, "What Clothes Reveal" goes several steps further. Baumgarten explores the deeper meaning of individual items and their construction, offers an curatorial interpretation of the garments and objects, and places them in a historical context by identifying details about the original owner where possible. While not intended to be the minute examination of garments in her "Costume Close-up: Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790," it is an important companion. While the general photos are typical, the detail photos are rare in costume histories. Readers shouldn't ignore the sidebars, the timeline, or the footnotes. The extensive bibliography offers a superb list of additional titles to assist with further research. This book is a must for costume historians, curators, collectors, re-enactors, and others who seek to understand 18th and early 19th century garments and the lives and times of those who wore them. Baumgarten unbuttons many mysteries in a thoroughly readable style, leaving the reader anxious for her next contribution to the field of costume history.

This book is absolutely incredible. I have a whole new appreciation for those who made clothing, repurposed clothing, remodeled clothing in our country's history. The photos are outstanding and the stories behind the clothing reveal so much. It's a great book for so many things, but wonderful to cuddle up with on a cold winter's ngiht.

Lovely book. A good number of large color photos of entire garments. Includes some beautiful dresses and also examples of other types of clothing such as servants, mens, and childrens clothing and undergarments.

I haven't finished reading this book, but it's a real treasure. The pictures even brought me to tears at a couple of points -- yes, I'm a sap. Truly, though, the clothing just seems to resonate with lives long past. They were painstakingly made by hand and worn by men, women and children of varying walks of life, not just the wealthy, although their clothing survived most often, of course. The clothes have stories to tell that in most cases the people who wore them never put to pen and paper.The book is exactly what the title says -- a look at how surviving articles of clothing (including shoes, hose, etc.) reveal the circumstances and stages of a person's life in colonial and federal America, not to mention the wider forces at play around them.I can definitely recommend What Clothes Reveal for history buffs and writers -- not sure about costume designers, but perhaps that's covered in another review.

I attended a local Revolutionary War reenactment two summers ago where the ladies used this book for inspiration. I took note of their clothes and this title which they showed me. I was quite impressed, but at the time, it was very expensive in hard cover. When I found it here I was just thrilled!! Great book, the best of its' kind.

What can I say ... Baumgarten is the best. This book is amazing, fascinating in all its details, and you know it's the best research available today. Highly recommended. I'd give six stars if I could.

Excellent book! Explains clothing very well, as you would expect. But also covers how the British importation laws affected colonial clothing. That was very interesting, but unexpected in the book.

my son loved it

Very interested in fashion, clothes, where and why they were worn, I orderd a copy of this book.From the start I was deeply impressed by the information. And also on the clothes slaves wore...I highly recommend this book to new readers!

un bon livre de référence sur costume , les photo avec de bon détail a été un bonne source pour mes confection de costume de 18e siecle