Barbara Burman is an independent scholar, and Ariane Fennetaux is associate professor of eighteenth-century history at the Université de Paris.
“What particularly interests Burman and Fennetaux is the way in
which women of all classes have historically used these tie-on
pockets as a supplementary body part to help them negotiate their
way through a world that was not built to suit them”—Kathryn
Hughes, Guardian
"In this riveting book, the authors take advantage of the pockets'
frequent survival in textile museums, private collections and
family holdings across Britain, tracing their presence in art,
literature, political satire, domestic organization and court
records."—Roberta Smith, New York Times "Best Art Books of
2019"
'The authors' careful research is enthralling . . . a very handsome
illustrated book'—Libération
'A fascinating book'—Le Monde
"Occupying the hinterland between dress and underwear, the pocket
has been discounted as rather too private and individual to yield
universal truth, yet that is exactly what Burman and Fennetaux have
done with this remarkable new study."—Selvedge
“[T]his is not just a book about pockets as a material artefact,
but a rich social and cultural history of women and their
lives.”—Elizabeth Spencer, Cultural and Social History
“From its very beginning, the book invites the readers to immerse
themselves into the fascinating world of the pocket and cleverly
presents stories of objects that illuminate a range of practices
related to the daily life, whether in material,textual, or visual
form.”—Alicia Mihalic, The Journal of Dress History
“Beautifully designed and wonderfully illustrated…This kind of
focused and revolutionary study opens a bright destiny for
interdisciplinary research in the Humanities.”—Dr. Axel Moulinier,
Kunst Chronik
"Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux demonstrate the riches to be
found in a unique gendered accessory – the tie-on pocket. They
illuminate centuries of British women’s history through their deep
knowledge of material culture, showcasing women’s priorities and
embodied experiences. Omnipresent, though often hidden, pockets
evoked fashion and female virtues. Recovered histories of pockets,
their embellishment and persistent usage, reveal vital features of
women’s lives"– Professor Beverly Lemire, Henry Marshall Tory Chair
at the University of Alberta
"The extensive archival research and thoughtful analysis elevate
the pocket beyond a utilitarian piece of clothing, illustrating —
with great success — the ways in which the nuances and details of
women's lived experiences can be expressed through material
objects."—Charlotte Fletcher, University of Southampton in the
Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
“The Pocket is a deft and adroit history of women’s lives as told
through their clothing. It illuminates women’s lives in their
richness and complexity, taking the reader as close to historical
‘experience’ as it is possible to be.”—Anna Parker, Review 31
“The Pocket is an enlightening and engaging account of both the use
of tie-on pockets and women’s material lives in the long eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries, and is to be highly commended.”—Rebecca
Unsworth, Textile History [Journal]
"Providing an exhaustive and compelling account of the pocket, the
authors deliver on their intention, demonstrating the insight this
small relic of dress history can give us into the lives of women
who made, purchased, exchanged and wholeheartedly relished the
pocket.”—Jessica Harpley, Journal of Design History
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