"What a deal of work there is in a dress!’’: Englishness and home dressmaking in the age of the sewing machine
"What a deal of work there is in a dress!’’: Englishness and home dressmaking in the age of the sewing machine
This essay explores the home-production and consumption of clothing in relation to Englishness, from the mid. 19th century to the present day. It situates the practice of home dressmaking specifically within the construction and maintenance of social class and gender identities that were so marked within the experience of Englishness during this period. At the same time, given the advent of the domestic sewing machine and the mass-produced paper pattern, and conversely, the growth in ready-made clothing, the domestic practices of English home dressmaking became the target of competing and newly expanding international commercial interests, particularly from the USA and the essay questions the extent to which formations of identity could co-exist with these trends.
englishness, home dressmaking, sewing machine, social mobility, national identity, consumption
1859735282
79-96
Burman, Barbara
82abdf2a-81ba-4c3b-a645-3b517e15deaa
April 2002
Burman, Barbara
82abdf2a-81ba-4c3b-a645-3b517e15deaa
Burman, Barbara
(2002)
"What a deal of work there is in a dress!’’: Englishness and home dressmaking in the age of the sewing machine.
Breward, Christopher, Conekin, Becky and Cox, Caroline
(eds.)
In The Englishness of English Dress.
Berg Publishers.
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
This essay explores the home-production and consumption of clothing in relation to Englishness, from the mid. 19th century to the present day. It situates the practice of home dressmaking specifically within the construction and maintenance of social class and gender identities that were so marked within the experience of Englishness during this period. At the same time, given the advent of the domestic sewing machine and the mass-produced paper pattern, and conversely, the growth in ready-made clothing, the domestic practices of English home dressmaking became the target of competing and newly expanding international commercial interests, particularly from the USA and the essay questions the extent to which formations of identity could co-exist with these trends.
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More information
Published date: April 2002
Venue - Dates:
The Englishness of English Dress, London College of Fashion, 2000-01-01 - 2000-01-01
Keywords:
englishness, home dressmaking, sewing machine, social mobility, national identity, consumption
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 48178
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/48178
ISBN: 1859735282
PURE UUID: ec035f2d-06be-48dc-b3b1-a3f5f7fa5155
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 06 Sep 2007
Last modified: 12 Dec 2023 17:35
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Contributors
Author:
Barbara Burman
Editor:
Christopher Breward
Editor:
Becky Conekin
Editor:
Caroline Cox
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