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The Hidden History of the Smock Frock Alison Toplis (University of Wolverhampton, UK)

The Hidden History of the Smock Frock By Alison Toplis (University of Wolverhampton, UK)

The Hidden History of the Smock Frock by Alison Toplis (University of Wolverhampton, UK)


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The Hidden History of the Smock Frock Summary

The Hidden History of the Smock Frock by Alison Toplis (University of Wolverhampton, UK)

Winner of the Association of Dress Historians Book of the Year Award, 2022 Traditionally associated with rural ways of life in England, often hand-crafted and held up as one of the only items of English folk dress to survive into the 20th century, the smock frock is an object of curiosity in many museum collections. Drawing on a wide variety of sources from surviving garments to newspapers and photographs, this book reveals the hidden history of the smock frock to present new social histories. Discussing the smock frock in its widest contexts, Alison Toplis explores how garments were handmade and manufactured by the ready-made clothing industry, and bought by men of different trades. She traces the smock frock's usage across England as well as in export markets such as Australia. Following the garment's decline in the late 19th century, the book investigates how this essentially utilitarian style of workwear came to be held up as an example of disappearing 'peasant' craft in an emotional response to urbanisation, and how it was preserved by collectors under the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement. Around the turn of the 20th century, the smock frock was reinvented as both women's and children's wear and is now regularly revived in fashion collections by the likes of Molly Goddard. Drawing together extensive visual and material cultures, Alison Toplis unravels a new history of the smock frock.

The Hidden History of the Smock Frock Reviews

A fascinating read. * Embroidery Magazine *

About Alison Toplis (University of Wolverhampton, UK)

Alison Toplis is an honorary research fellow at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. She worked for several years as a dress and textiles specialist at Christie's Auctioneers before teaching at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, UK. She is the author of The Clothing Trade in Provincial England, 1800-1850 (2011).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction: Form and Definition 1. The Smock and Rural England 2. Histories of the Smock Frock 3. Making 4. Selling and Buying 5. Appearances 6. Into the Twentieth Century Conclusion Bibliography Index

Additional information

NGR9781350212640
9781350212640
1350212644
The Hidden History of the Smock Frock by Alison Toplis (University of Wolverhampton, UK)
New
Paperback
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
2021-05-20
224
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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