Books & Digital Picks
Interpreting How Your Ancestors Dressed
This month’s family history inspiration
“Fashion is an inescapable aspect of human existence.” So begins this 150-year journey through our forebears’ wardrobes and the events that shaped them from regular WDYTYA? Magazine contributor Jayne Shrimpton (see page 39). A captivating vista of the history of British fashion between 1800 and 1950, it examines not just what people wore but why they wore it, demonstrating endless practical, social and military influences on our sartorial evolution.
Opening with a chronology of men’s, women’s and children’s
fashions, the book reveals the shifting trends over the 19th and early 20th centuries. Later chapters address the specifics of occupational clothing, occasion wear and even sportswear. Finally, we see how the processes required to make and maintain garments determined their design as well as the choice of fabric.
It’s an immersive read, in which each item of clothing illuminates the attitudes of its wearer and their culture. Shrimpton challenges popular misconceptions about historical attire and the industry’s workers, and provides a considered, nuanced overview of social and economic development across Britain. We also witness the contrasts between the dress customs of town and country, old and young, and rich and poor.
Women are very visible here, whether as laundresses and seamstresses toiling in difficult conditions, or as pioneering sportswomen defying social norms. Some archaic clothing terms may be unfamiliar, and the
book would perhaps benefit from a glossary. Nevertheless, Fashion and Family History breathes fresh life into bygone worlds, and professional genealogists and keen amateurs alike will undoubtedly find this gem of a book a superb addition to their collection.