A Complete View of the Dress and Habits of the People of England; from the establishment of the Saxons in Britain to the present time, illustrated by engravings taken from the most authentic remains of Antiquity.
London: J. Nichols for J. Edwards, R. Edwards, B. & J. White, et al. 1796 - 1799. First Edition. 2 volumes, 4to, 11 1/2 x 9 1/8 inches (290 x 230 mm). Watermarked J. Whatman 1798 & 1802 paper. Volume 1 (1796): frontis, title, ii-iii, [6] contents, i-lxxxviii introduction, 124 pp. Volume 2 (1799): frontis, title, ixc-cxxxvi introduction, [4] contents, 127-378 pp, i-vii list of manuscripts & plates. With two frontispieces, 8 introductory plates & 143 further numbered plates, all engraved & printed in sepia ink. Contemporary light brown calf, gilt rules and corner embellishments on boards, gilt decorated spines, raised bands; marbled endpapers and gilt turn-ins, t.e.g. Front joints somewhat rubbed, binding tight; some foxing and light offset but overall a clean and bright copy.
Engraved bookplate of John L. Nevinson pasted on first flyleaf of vol. 1.
Provenance: John Lea Nevinson (1904-1986); Donald King (1920-1998) & Monique King (1922-2020)
[Colas 2824; Vinet 2191; Lowndes 2533; Brunet V, 566].
Strutt’s superb plates trace a history of the dress and customs of the English, with references as far back as Egypt and Greece. Most of his imagery was drawn directly from manuscripts in the British Museum and the Bodleian Library.
Joseph Strutt (1749–1802), who "may justifiably be regarded as the first serious historian of dress in England, and his pioneering works of scholarship were heavily drawn upon by nineteenth-century costume historians. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who doubted the reliability of artistic sources as historical evidence, he employed a comparative analysis of the manuscripts, showing that they were reliable indicators of changes not just in matters of dress but also of the 'manners and customs' of the time. He was one of the first to realize the potential value of visual material as a historical source rather than as simply serving an illustrative purpose. He showed an early appreciation of the intrinsic merit of medieval art and was unusual in producing near-facsimile engraved reproductions of the originals." (Jennifer Harris for DNB).
Condition: Very good +.
Item number: 1476
Price: $1,200.00
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