The Second-Hand Clothes Trade in 18th-century England

For more than five years Dr. Lemire has been researching the informal economy of the used clothing trade in 18th century England, confirming its importance in both household and regional economies of the country at nearly every socio-economic level. At the ROM, she investigates extant items of clothing in order to better understand how they were constructed and worn, specifically where they show evidence of wear, stress, and repair. Teasing out any observable patterns in how garments were made and remade, and in the process clarifying their roles as commodities at every stage of their lives would, as Dr. Lemire stated in her application, tie “a document-based study to artefact-based evidence.”