Strasdin's painstaking detective work has uncovered many of the
fascinating insights behind the fabric swatches contained in this unusual collection
Strasdin's painstaking detective work has uncovered many of the
fascinating insights behind the fabric swatches contained in this unusual collection
Snippets of fabric, snippets of biographical detail, snippets of historical evidence - this is a book entirely made up of snippets and
I found it irresistible'[A]
questing and poignant social history'
An extraordinarily rich record of middle-class Victorian life, both at home and abroad...
[a] fascinating bookThis is
a wonderful book! The life of a woman, a time and an industry, woven, like cloth, into something
unique and beguiling. A treat for the curious readerKate Strasdin is a dress historian who has been fascinated by old clothes since she was a child. She is a lecturer in Cultural Studies at Falmouth University and is a freelance consultant for dress and textile exhibitions. She has appeared on The Great British Sewing Bee as an expert.
In 2016 she was given an anonymous album full of annotated dress swatches that had been kept in a trunk for over fifty years, its original keeper unknown. She spent the next six years unlocking its secrets.
She lives in Devon with her husband and two children.