Detail of a woman's petticoat. England. 1740-1760. Quilted silk satin lined with coarse cotton. 959.250.4.
Fellowship Year: 1993
Project Title: The Second-Hand Clothes Trade in 18th-century England
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.”
About the Fellow:
At the time of her fellowship, Dr. Lemire was an Associate Professor in the History Department at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. She is currently Professor and Henry Marshall Tory Chair, Department of History & Classics at the University of Alberta, Edmonton.
At the time of her fellowship, Dr. Lemire was an Associate Professor in the History Department at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. She is currently Professor and Henry Marshall Tory Chair, Department of History & Classics at the University of Alberta, Edmonton.
Related Publications: 1997, Dress, Culture and Commerce: The English Clothing Trade before the Factory, 1660-1800 (Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan), pp. i-xvi, 1-227.
1997, Dress, Culture and Commerce: The English Clothing Trade before the Factory, 1660-1800 (Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan), pp. i-xvi, 1-227.