Research Resources

Academic Works (Free Downloads/Accessible)

• The Met Museum of Art has many of their publications available as free downloads. Tip: use the Collection/Department filter to narrow the list!

18th c.

• “The Fruits of Nimble Finger: Garment Construction and the Working Lives of Eighteenth-Century English Needlewomen” by Carolyn Dowdell (includes section on 18th c. stitches)
• “Rockin the Rococo” by Carolyn Dowdell. The hands on component of the thesis listed above, is a detailed account on her blog of her recreation of a late 18th c. middle class English woman’s wardrobe.
• “The Multiple Lives of Clothes: Alteration and Reuse of Women’s Eighteenth-Century Apparel in England” by Carolyn Dowdell (includes section on mending and maintenance)
• “Martha’s Mob Cap? A Milliner’s Hand-Sewn Inquiry into Eighteenth-Century Caps ca.1770 to 1800” by Sarah E. Woodyard (academic research by recreating 18th c. caps)

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Sewing Manuals, Etc.

• The Workwoman’s Guide (1840, 2nd. ed., English)
• Sewn Company’s Hand-Sewing Tutorials
• Hope Greenburg’s Guide to Details in Regency Gown Construction

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Fashion Plates/Magazines

All Eras

U. of Washington Fashion Plate Collection, 1806-1915
The Met Costume Institute Fashion and Dress Plates, 18th c.-1949
National Portrait Gallery Collection, 1770-1860s

1790s-1820s

• The Gallery of Fashion Vol. 1-8 by von Heideloff (1794-1802, English, plates only)
  • Descriptions to the Plates of The Gallery of Fashion
• Journal des Dames et des Modes (French, 1798-1839, full scans of the magazine, some issues missing)
• Journal des Dames et des Modes (French, 1797-1804, plates only with “exhibits” analyzing different aspects of the plates)
• The Lady’s Monthly Museum (full scans of the magazine) 1798-1828
• The Fashions of London & Paris During the Years 1804, 1805 & 1806
• The Lady’s Magazine (UK) 1779, 1780, 1801, 1805, 1806, 1807
• Costumes d’ouvrières parisiennes (French, Pub. 1824) – Parisian working women’s clothes

19th c.

Fashioning Philadelphia (American fashion plates!)
Fashion Plates URI HTCC (1799-1890)
La Mode Artistique by Gustave Janet, later 19th c.

Free Patterns

La Mode Illustree PDF Digital Scans, 1860-1920

Single Digitized Historical Documents

Barbara Johnson’s Dress Fabric Album (1746-1823) V&A

Groups, Archives, Virtual Museums and Databases

• The Department Store Museum
• The Fashion and Race Database Project
• Visual Reference Databases for Costumers
• Duke Library Ad Archive, 1911-1955
• Vandamm Theatrical Photographs Archive, 1900-1957
• Photoplay Archive Listings, 1914-1963
• Esquire Archive
• 20th c. Department Store Catalogs 1940-2017 Sears, Montgomery Ward, JC Penney
• 20th c. Dept. Store Christmas Catalogs 1937-1996 Sears, Simpson-Sears, Wards, Eaton’s, Speigel, FAO Schwartz and JC Penney
• Dupont Magazine 1913-1940
• DuPont’s Better Living Magazine 1946-1972
• Larsdatter’s 18th C. Notebook A trove of links to 18th c. primary source images, categorized by garment type.

Fiber/Fabric/Finish Identification

• 1977 EPA Report on the Synthetic Fiber Industry – lists chemical processes, the products that resulted, and the companies involved. Searchable.
• MFA CAMEO Database – This is a textile conservation database, plenty of information on different fiber types.