Anatole France on Fashion1
In his old age Renan would have liked to lift the veil from the future. And why?—To satisfy his scientific curiosity! “Ah,” he declared, “How I would have turned with emotion the pages of the little book, the elementary manual of science, which will be carried by the school children a hundred years after my death.”
And I, also, would like to lift this mysterious veil. I, too, have my scientific curiosity. But it is not so fanciful as that of the aged devotee. I scorn retorts and alembics, steam, and electricity. I had for too long the delusion of science. Today I am freed from these follies. I no longer believe in this science which arrogates to itself alone, the privilege of being exact. This presumption suffices to condemn it.
If I were permitted to choose from the rubbish which will be published a hundred years after my death, do you know which I would take?
A novel? No, it is always the same rhapsody: a man loves a woman who does not love him; or a woman loves a man who does not love her; or both love each other madly or detest each other furiously. This offers a certain number of combinations, but it does not exceed, even by introducing another lover, more than ten situations.
No, it is not a novel which I would pick in this library of the future, nor a work on history—when it offers something of interest it is only another novel.
I would take simply a fashion magazine in order to see how women will dress themselves a century after my death. And their fantasies would tell me more about future humanity than all the philosophers, the novelists, the preachers, or the scientists.
Bibliographical Note
This Dover edition, first published in 2001, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published in 1954 by Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., New York.
Library, of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bradley, Carolyn, G. (Carolyn Gertrude), b. 1901.
Western world costume : an outline history / Carolyn G. Bradley.
p. cm.
Originally published: New York : Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1954.
Includes bibliographical references.
9780486164984
1. Costume—History. 1. Title.
GT510 .B69 2001
3911009—dc21
2001028858
Manufactured in the United States of America
Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y. 11501
Preface
It is hoped that this volume will be a mine of information for students of costume, fashion designers, theater producers, artists, and that it will give, as a whole, a kaleidoscopic view of the development of dress from primitive times to the present. A glance through various chapters should likewise demonstrate how closely related fashions are to the social climate of various eras—for example, the cool simplicity of Grecian garments, the elaborate styles of the Restoration in England, the emphasis on freedom of movement in modern American clothes.
The book is not a narrative history of costume but is presented in outline form to facilitate reference to the vast store of material that it contains. Each historic period is treated as an entity but chapters are arranged under uniform topics so that the reader can, for instance, easily trace the development of “Footwear” from Thebes to present-day New York, and make quick comparisons with other periods. Short historical sketches and chronologies introduce each chapter, but the meat of the book is in the sections entitled “Dress” (for both Men and Women) where all the distinctive features of costume of a given era are listed under: Garments, Hair, Headdress, Footwear, Accessories, Jewelry, Typical Colors, Typical Materials, and Make-up. Most of these items are also contained in a Glossary at the end of the chapter. Words in italics in the text indicate the first appearance of a style.
Additional features of individual chapters include short listings of “Significant Motifs” of a specific period, “Influences on Later Costumes,” bibliographies, and (beginning with the Renaissance) the names of artists whose works reflect the fashions of their times. An extensive general bibliography and other helpful references are provided at the end of the volume.
Many drawings, of both the full costume and characteristic details, illustrate the book, with cross references in the text. The maps included show the geographical and political background of significant historic epochs. More information is presented on the 19th and 20th centuries than for previous periods on the assumption that the recent past is of especial interest to the reader today.
My acknowledgments are due to Ruth Bradley Smith, F. Meredith Dietz, and Dorothy Perkins Lyon for suggestions and assistance in the realization of this book; to Lois Lampe for her helpful criticism and careful reading of the manuscript; to Olga Krill for locating the sources of many illustrations; to the New York, Indianapolis, and Columbus Public Libraries, the Ohio State Library, the Library of The Ohio State University, and for the graciousness of their librarians, especially Ralph Janeway, Esther Stroedter, and Nellie Jennings; to the illustrators, Phyllis Lathan Stoner, Marjory Stewart, and Eleanor Smith Johnson; to James R. Hopkins, Director Emeritus of the School of Fine and Applied Arts of The Ohio State University, who has always been a source of encouragement; and to Ruth D. Keener, editor of this volume, who has given freely of her time and energy in preparing it for publication.
C. G. B.
Table of Contents
Anatole France on Fashion Title Page Copyright Page Preface CHAPTER 1 - Primitive and Aboriginal Peoples CHAPTER 2 - Egypt CHAPTER 3 - Asiatic Empires CHAPTER 4 - Greece CHAPTER 5 - Rome CHAPTER 6 - Byzantium CHAPTER 7 - The Middle Ages CHAPTER 8 - The Middle Ages CHAPTER 9 - The Middle Ages CHAPTER 10 - 16th Century CHAPTER 11 - 17th Century CHAPTER 12 - 17th Century CHAPTER 13 - 18th Century CHAPTER 14 - 17th Century CHAPTER 15 - Transition Period CHAPTER 16 - 19th Century CHAPTER 17 - 19th Century CHAPTER 18 - 19th Century