Children's Clothes Since 1750

Hardbound, 160 pgs. This book looks at children’s clothes in their widest possible context, relating them to changes in adult fashion, to new theories of childcare such as those expounded by Rousseau, and to new manufacturing methods. At the same time, it pays close attention to the garments themselves, examining when they were worn, and by whom, how much they cost, how they were made and cared for, and what their wearers thought of them. One of the chief aims of the book is to show that even ‘cruel’ forms of dress such as swaddling bands and corsets expressed parents’ concerns for their children’s welfare.