Publication

2019 - Yale University Press

Language

English

Word Count

66,000 words, Guess

Page Count

264 pages

Identifiers

  • ISBN-139780300239072
  • ISBN-100300239076
  • Library of Congress Control Number2018955377
  • OCLC Control Number1104044173
  • Better World Books9780300239072
and 1 more

Classifications

  • LCCGT2350 .B87 2019
  • LCCGT735 .B875 2019

Description

Pencils, a sketchbook, cake, yards of stolen ribbon, thimbles, snuff boxes, a picture of a lover, two live ducks: these are just some of the fascinating things carried by women and girls in their tie-on pockets, an essential accessory throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. This first book-length study of the tie-on pocket combines materiality and gender to provide new insight into the social history of women's everyday lives-from duchesses and country gentry to prostitutes and washerwomen-and explore their consumption practices, work, sociability, mobility, privacy, and identity. The authors draw on an unprecedented study of surviving pockets in museums and private collections to identify their materials, techniques, and decoration; their use is investigated through sources as diverse as criminal trials, letters, diaries, inventories, novels, and advertisements. Richly illustrated with paintings, satirical prints, and photographs of artifacts in detail, this innovative book reveals the unexpected story of these deeply evocative and personal objects.

Subjects

Topics

391.44HistoryPocketsWomen's clothingGt2350 .b87 2019Dress accessoriesManners and customs

Other Editions

  • Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1690-1900Yale University Press2019-01-01

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