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Material Lives

Women Makers and Consumer Culture in the 18th Century
By Serena Dyer
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Material Lives explores how eighteenth-century women expressed their life stories through various crafts such as fabric samples, watercolours, dressed prints and dolls' garments. Serena Dyer reveals that these women's material practices were far from trivial; they served as vital records and means of navigating their lives within a consumer society. By examining these material archives, the book offers fresh insights into eighteenth-century production, consumption and women's history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for researchers and students interested in material culture, dress history, gender studies, consumption and women's history, this book offers a rich resource that sheds new light on the creative and cultural roles of eighteenth-century women.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Eighteenth-century women told their life stories through making. With its compelling stories of women’s material experiences and practices, Material Lives offers a new perspective on eighteenth-century production and consumption.

Genteel women’s making has traditionally been seen as decorative, trivial and superficial. Yet their material archives, forged through fabric samples, watercolours, dressed prints and dolls’ garments, reveal how women used the material culture of making to record and navigate their lives.

Material Lives positions women as ‘makers’ in a consumer society. Through fragments of fabric and paper, Dyer explores an innovative way of accessing the lives of otherwise obscured women.

For researchers and students of material culture, dress history, consumption, gender and women’s history, it offers a rich resource to illuminate the power of needles, paintbrushes and scissors.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its rich detail and evocative approach, Material Lives is described as meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated. Reviewers highlight its compelling portrayal of women's creative engagement with material culture, encouraging readers to rethink the cultural power of crafting tools in women's lives. It is regarded as an intimate and insightful study, illuminating the skill and artistry behind women’s contributions to eighteenth-century consumer identity.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781350126961

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 February 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Illustration: 103 color illus

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 188.0mm

Height: 244.0mm

Weight: 820g

Pages: 272

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Arts & Culture Education & Reference Non-Fiction Serena Dyer

About the Author

Serena Dyer is a historian of material culture, consumption and fashion. She is Lecturer in History of Design and Material Culture at De Montfort University, UK, an Associate Fellow of the University of Warwick and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Paul Mellon Centre. She was previously Curator of the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, London, UK.

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