Dress, culture, and commerce

by Beverly Lemire

The clothing trades examined in this volume covered the backs of sailors and soldiers, provided shirts for labouring men and skirts for working women, employed legions of needlewomen and supplied retailers with new consumer wares. Garments, once bought, returned again to the marketplace, circulating like currency and bolstering demand. These clothing trades were at the cusp of formal and informal markets. The agents in these trades spanned the social spectrum, from military contractors for clothing, to female outworkers. Within the second-hand trade there were many of the same players as...

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