Victims of Fashion

Examines the extensive use of animal commodities in Victorian Britain and the humanitarian and ecological issues raised by their consumption.

Helen Louise Cowie (Author)

9781108495172, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 November 2021

300 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.57 kg

'If the mark of scholarship worth producing in the 2020s is that it bears at least some relevance to everyday life - and I would argue that it is - Cowie's book has much to teach us … It is incredibly refreshing to read a monograph that not only bridges the gap between the Victorian period and the present, but also offers hope in the process.' Michelle M. Taylor, Victorian Studies

Animal products were used extensively in nineteenth-century Britain. A middle-class Victorian woman might wear a dress made of alpaca wool, drape herself in a sealskin jacket, brush her hair with a tortoiseshell comb, and sport feathers in her hat. She might entertain her friends by playing a piano with ivory keys or own a parrot or monkey as a living fashion accessory. In this innovative study, Helen Cowie examines the role of these animal-based commodities in Britain in the long nineteenth century and traces their rise and fall in popularity in response to changing tastes, availability, and ethical concerns. Focusing on six popular animal products – feathers, sealskin, ivory, alpaca wool, perfumes, and exotic pets – she considers how animal commodities were sourced and processed, how they were marketed and how they were consumed. She also assesses the ecological impact of nineteenth-century fashion.

Introduction
1. Murderous millinery
2. The seal and his jacket
3. Is the elephant following the dodo?
4. Silk of the Andes
5. Bitter perfumes
6. Monkey business
Conclusion
Epilogue.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], British & Irish history [HBJD1], History of fashion [AKTH], History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900 [ACV]