Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820)

About this book

Two‑Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 is a scholarly survey of early American dress, compiled by Alice Morse Earle. The work opens with a 1625 quotation from George Wither that praises the printer’s civic duty, then presents a detailed contents list ranging from Puritan apparel to colonial children’s clothing, ruffs, caps, and even periwigs and beards. The opening pages are populated with a series of portrait captions that identify notable figures, John Endicott, Edward Winslow, John Winthrop, Sir Walter Raleigh, and others, describing their garments in vivid, period‑specific terms. These captions, together with a frontispiece illustration of a gentlewoman and infant, establish the book’s method: a visual and textual catalogue of authentic portraits, engravings, and artifacts that trace the evolution of American costume from 1620 through 1820.

Earle writes in a measured, nineteenth‑century academic voice, combining precise description with occasional moral commentary reflective of her era. The prose is dense but accessible, aimed at readers who appreciate meticulous historical detail, scholars of fashion history, early‑American studies, and museum curators will find it especially rewarding. Those interested in the material culture of the colonial and early republic periods, or in the way clothing signals social and religious identity, will enjoy the richly illustrated, source‑driven approach of this volume.