9th Century Costume

soloset · Sep 25, 2006

Would anyone happen to know of a good, solid book about 9th to 11th century costume?

I've been googling and Amazon-searching but most of what I've found is re-enactment tutorials or picture books, and they're pretty much all 12th century and forward.

I'm looking for something substantial that describes the clothing of different classes, and also explores the changes over time and over regional areas in Europe.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Evaine · Sep 25, 2006

It's very difficult to find good information on this period - I know because I've just been making tunics to wear at the next Battle of Hastings!

There is a bit of pictorial evidence in manuscripts, and a tiny amount of sculptural evidence. Then there's the Bayeaux Tapestry, which deals with a very specific time and has one woman in the entire thing. Good if you want to look at chainmail.

For the Vikings, I'm pretty sure that the version of female dress that is usually depicted comes from a very small sample of graves in Sweden, and it isn't certain whether this was everyday dress or some sort of ritual clothing. It involves a lot of finely pleated linen.
Again, male clothing can be seen in sculpture, and things like the Oseberg Tapestry, but you have to do a lot of interpretation if you want to reproduce it.

On the web, Regia Anglorum and, to a lesser extent, Conquest are pretty good on the re-enactment side of things. Also the Vike.

Marlys · Sep 25, 2006

A few books you might look for at the library:

English costume of the early Middle Ages: the tenth to the thirteenth centuries by Iris Brooke

Handbook of English mediaeval costume by C. Willett Cunnington and Phillis Cunnington; with illustrations by Barbara Phillipson and Catherine Lucas

Mediaeval costume and life; review of their social aspects arranged under various classes and workers with instructions for making numerous types of dress by Dorothy Hartley

English costume from the early Middle Ages through the sixteenth century by Iris Brooke

Medieval Costume and Fashion by Herbert Norris

Racinet's full-color pictorial history of western costume : with 92 plates showing over 950 authentic costumes from the Middle Ages to 1800 by A. Racinet

The common man through the centuries; a book of costume drawings by Max Barsis

I found these by browsing my county library's online catalog--if you have a university library nearby, their selection will probably be greater.

soloset · Sep 25, 2006

Evaine said:
On the web, Regia Anglorum and, to a lesser extent, Conquest are pretty good on the re-enactment side of things. Also the Vike.

Thank you! I will look these up; I think I was focusing my searches too tightly and I was discounting the web as a resource.

Marlys said:
A few books you might look for at the library:

[...]

I found these by browsing my county library's online catalog--if you have a university library nearby, their selection will probably be greater.

That's a great suggestion, -- why didn't I think of that? We don't have much of a library nearby, but the college has a great one. I'll definitely check them out next.

I do have one of Racinet's books already ("Illustrated History of European Costume"), but it's not quite detailed enough; more of an overview from Antiquity to the 18th century than anything else. Although the little tidbits of information are quite interesting.

I was tempted by the one by Norris on Amazon, but I wasn't sure if it went back far enough, and I read a review that said that it was inaccurate in spots. Same with the one by Mary G. Houston (although I think I'm picking that one up anyway).

I'm just not sure what will be a good resource and what won't be. I think I'm going to take a list of potentials and go store-hopping this weekend. Nothing beats actually being able to leaf through the book.

pdr · Sep 25, 2006

I'll second those.

Handbook of English mediaeval costume by C. Willett Cunnington and Phillis Cunnington; with illustrations by Barbara Phillipson and Catherine Lucas

Mediaeval costume and life; review of their social aspects arranged under various classes and workers with instructions for making numerous types of dress by Dorothy Hartley

I have these books because frankly they're the best.
C. Willett Cunnington and Phillis Cunnington are wonderful. They had a vast collection of clothes in a museum, all their books cover underclothes, details like hair and handkerchiefs and useful snippets of information. The drawings are good as are the photographs. For an historical writer their books are indispensable.

Dorothy Hartley - no historical writer should be without her 'Food in England' - is also good in different ways. Her understanding and explanations of social differences is excellent. Her comments well worth reading.

soloset · Sep 25, 2006

Excellent, thank you! The first-hand knowledge really comes in handy, since there are so many to choose from.

ETA: Oh, no! I just looked up C. Willett Cunnington on Amazon. Judging from these titles, I'm going to be broke shortly.

Evaine · Sep 27, 2006

Thanks to Marlys and pdr - I didn't know about the Dorothy Hartley book and it seems to be just what I was looking for.
Up till now I've been relying on illustrations in the Osprey series of military history books for costume for our re-enactment group (I owned up to having a sewing machine, and now I make costume for the whole group).

pdr · Sep 27, 2006

Dorothy Hartley

DH is wonderful for those of us who have to turn sheets into costumes for drama societies and children's school plays!

She did a couple more practical books but they will be expensive as they are in high demand. Last time I wrote this on this board someone told me to use www.biblio.com as they had some of her books cheaply. Try that. If you do get stuck the Historical Novel Soc has members who deal in 2nd hand books. I've found several DH's that way.

Evaine · Oct 1, 2006

I've just sent off for the Dorothy Hartley book on Costume, and Food in England, which looks as if it's going to be invaluable!

Evaine · Oct 5, 2006

Food in England arrived today and just thumbing through it is fascinating. It even has a section on the Hafod, summer grazing!
Fantastic!

arrowqueen · Oct 5, 2006

My all time favourite recipe instruction:

'Take an lapin and smyte hem into gobbets.'

God, I love that!

pdr · Oct 5, 2006

Ah, those recipes.

I like the syllabub recipe the one about milking the cow into the bowl of wine!

For the best historical research about food add Elizabeth David's book on 'Bread' to DH's 'Food...' ED covers a wide range of topics relevant to bread and of great interest to historical writers. Her book about ice is also useful.

Higgins · Nov 27, 2006

Einhardt describes Charlemagne's clothes

soloset said:
Would anyone happen to know of a good, solid book about 9th to 11th century costume?

I've been googling and Amazon-searching but most of what I've found is re-enactment tutorials or picture books, and they're pretty much all 12th century and forward.

I'm looking for something substantial that describes the clothing of different classes, and also explores the changes over time and over regional areas in Europe.

Any help would be much appreciated!

I think its Einhardt. One of the things he talks about is the clothes the King of the Franks wore. This emperor had some clothes. And the description would apply to things up to 814 or so.

Athenais · Nov 30, 2006

I'm so pleased I happened across this thread. I'm looking for sources for 9th century European clothing myself. I may be tempted into getting the Hartley food book just because you never know when I might need to smite my lapin into gobbits. Thanks!

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Nov 30, 2006

I'm fixing that for dinner Sunday noon!

Matt McKee · Dec 18, 2006

Great information here! Thanks a bunch. I've been using Regia Anglorum and a host of other websites for a lot of my info on daily life of Saxons for the 11th century. The books everyone has suggested look like they will be very helpful for my next novel. Thanks again.

9th Century Costume

soloset

'bye

Evaine

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

soloset

'bye

pdr

soloset

'bye

Evaine

pdr

Evaine

Evaine

arrowqueen

RIP, our sarky besom

pdr

Higgins

Athenais

One of us

Ol' Fashioned Girl

Hand? What hand?

Matt McKee