Some books I've found for those interested in diving into Victoria era fashion:
Women's fashions during the second half of the nineteenth century offered a delightful display of styles reflecting English, French, and American tastes. This comprehensive treasury of more than 900 crisp black-and-white illustrations ― arranged chronologically and dated by year ― provides a rich pictorial record of clothing styles from that period. Suitable for a wide variety of graphic projects, these cuts will especially appeal to artists and illustrators in search of finely rendered images of authentic Victorian fashions.
Selected by graphic artist Carol Belanger Grafton from such vintage sources as Harper's Bazar, La Mode Illustrée, Peterson's Magazine, Godey's Salon de la Mode and Frank Leslie's Ladies' Magazine, the cuts brim with clear detail and old-time flavor as they record a wealth of evolving styles ― from ornate gowns of the mid-1800s, widened by hoop skirts and elaborately enhanced with ribbons, ruffles, laces, and bows, to turn-of-the-century fashions that produced leg-o'-mutton sleeves, narrowed skirts, diminished bustles, and high-necked bodices (except for evening wear, which exhibited a more daring neckline).
Here, for copyright-free use, are hundreds of elegant dresses accented with intricately embroidered designs, shirtwaists featuring lace inserts, and row upon row of tiny pleats, tightly laced undergarments, wide-brimmed hats topped with feathers, flowers, and ribbon; beaded handbags, magnificent parasols, fur-trimmed capes, and much, much more.
An invaluable reference to period clothing styles for designers, illustrators, and costume historians, this magnificent archive ― with its entertaining glimpse of the fashions of yesteryear ― will also delight casual browsers and lovers of Victoriana.
All decades are illustrated with original photographs, adverts and contemporary magazine features from the authors' own remarkable collections, accompanied by a knowledgeable and informative text that describes the fashions, their social history context and influences reflected in the clothes of the time. Laid out in a clear and easy-to-follow chronological order, the key features of styles, decoration and accoutrements will help family historians to date family photographs and will provide a useful resource for students and costume historians or for anyone with a love of fashion and style to enjoy.
111 fashion plates and their descriptions from the years 1840-1844 from Godey's Lady's Book, Graham's Magazine, The Ladies Companion, and others.
61 Fashion plates and descriptions from Peterson's Ladies' National Magazine for 1845-1849, plus additional plates from Magasin des Demoiselles.
58 fashion plates and descriptions from the years 1845-1849 from Godey's Lady's Book.
63 fashion plates and descriptions from 1850-1854 from Godey's Lady's Book and Graham's Magazine.
59 fashion plates and descriptions from Peterson's Magazine from the years 1855 to 1859.
60 hand colored fashion plates and descriptions from Godey's Lady's Book from the years 1855-1859 with 9 additional plates from 1858 Arthur's Home Magazine.
58 fashion plates and descriptions from Godey's Lady's book for 1866-1870 with 24 additional plates for 1866-1867 from Mme. Demorests' Mirror of Fashion.
90 fashion plates and descriptions from Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine for the years 1871-1877.
A unique fashion image developed in mid nineteenth-century America reflecting the influences of Queen Victoria, the court of Napoleon III and American adaptions of European designs, many of the stylish silhouettes that emerged from this spirited era are still admired today.
This book presents a fashion parade of authentic ladies' and childrens' styles from the most influential women's magazine of the period — Godey's Lady's Book — which presented both original fashions and adaptations from European publications.
Over 400 striking designs, including 42 figures in full color, were chosen for this volume from a selection of rare issues (1837–1869) of Godey's by Stella Blum, director of Kent State University Museum and former curator of the Costume Institute at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Among the many beautiful illustrations reproduced here are morning dresses, walking suits, riding outfits, ball gowns, capes, children's costumes, plus hairstyles and a full array of accessories — shoes, bonnets, gloves, muffs, fans, walking sticks, and more. Captions detail the rich fabrics, color schemes, and decorative trims of this gallery of vintage attire.
The illustrations offer a panoramic view of evolving styles from Victorian 1940s outfits with severe high necklines, elongated bodices, and bonnets designed to keep the wearer's eyes looking chastely ahead; to 1950's adaptations of French haute couture featuring ornate gowns widened with hoopskirts and elaborately trimmed with lace, ribbons, fringes, and feathers; to 1860's garb in which skirts narrowed and graceful trains replaced the hoop skirt.
Costume and culture historians, clothing designers and illustrators will find the work a valuable reference to clothing designs of the period and a fascinating look back at mid-Victorian couture.
After the Civil War the upper middle class in America expanded and became increasingly style-conscious. Visiting European royalty as well as American women returning from the International Exhibition in Paris in 1867 stimulated fashion awareness — and it was in this climate that the magazine Harper's Bazar flowered. Dedicated to being "A repository of Fashion, Pleasure, and Instruction," it brought to American women inside glimpses of the very latest European and American fashions, all in carefully detailed engravings. It was much the finest source for high fashion for this period.
This book consists of the finest illustrations from Harper's Bazar between the years 1867 and 1898, the period of its peak importance. These illustrations not only show you what apparel appealed to our Victorian ancestors, but give you an idea of the evolutionary nature of fashion as well. You will see bustles come and go, natural forms become the vogue only to be superseded by the constricting hourglass figure. Each look is illustrated with a number of different garments. There are gowns for the morning hours, dinner dresses, sporting costumes, traveling clothes and apparel for special occasions: weddings, communions, funerals, etc. Since no costume was complete without accessories, a full line of hats, fans, parasols, muffs, gloves, handkerchiefs, jewelry, shoes and hair styles is shown as well. A selection of children's attire is also included. An introduction by Stella Blum covers the history of Harper's Bazar and examines the various phases fashion went through between 1867 and 1898.
72 hand-colored fashion plates and descriptions from Godey's Lady's Book for the years 1860-1865 plus 17 additional plates from Mme. Demorest's Mirror of Fashion 1862, 1864, and 1865.
72 hand-colored fashion plates and descriptions from Peterson's Magazine for the years 1860-1865 with 10 additional plates from 1865 Lady's Friend.
Compelling pictorial archive of 264 vintage photographs, selected from rare tintypes and other authentic materials (1850s–1910), depict little girls in their mothers' hats and clothes, sisters wearing identical plaid dresses and button boots, a young man in an everyday suit and bowler hat, a boy dressed in Little Lord Fauntleroy style, and scores of others.
