Who Wore What?: Women's Wear, 1861-1865

I must disagree with some of the previous reviewers on a number of issues about this book on women's clothing styles of the Civil War period. First off, Ms. Leisch IS a clothing and social historian, contrary to what another reviewer wrote. I have read other works by her and have checked numerous points she has made with other writings and she has always been right on the mark. As for the complaints that this book is considered 'absolute truth' by some is not Ms. Leisch's fault. She states within the first two paragraphs of her Introduction that there were women in the 1860's that did not follow the norm and styles of the day, just as today's women have a mix of different looks and do not always follow the trends. If some take what she writes of the past styles as gospel, well, then I guess that is their own doing. Now, why is a guy interested in a book such as this? My wife and I (as well as our children) are reenactors in a Civil War unit and, as all reenactors should do, we try to learn all we can of life during that period in time. We are striving to represent as accurately as we can the personas we have chosen, which means lots of research and double checking. By reading of the social history of the time - the how's and why's of both sexes - can one truly immerse themselves into the past. Anyone of us living in our modern day and age can easily describe what women wear today, just as, I'm sure, the same sort of folk could have 145 years ago. But, with books such as this one, we can at least make a very accurate attempt to emmulate those who lived a century and a half ago, and to understand the why and wherefores of the styles of another age. Ms. Leisch has done a find job in this book as well as her book An Introduction to Civil War Civilians. She's done her homework in both cases.

For women Civil War reenactors, this book is a MUST! Do NOT be deterred by the...pricetag. The money that you spend on this reference is money you will save several times over by not buying inaccurate stuff that ultimately will have to be replaced. I picked up my copy at the same time that I picked up my first reenacting dress, accessorized with wide embroidered collar. Oops! The book was an excellent idea. The collar no longer goes with me to events.Ms. Leisch bases her study of 1860s fashions on cartes de visite (CDVs), which she notes can be dated fairly accurately based on the types of paper used and photography studio information. She organizes her book by clothing types--coats, day dresses, ball gowns, underpinnings, etc., and particularly emphasizes fashion differences between young women, middle-aged women and older women. "Who Wore What" contains many, many photographs of what women actually wore to the photographer--not the fantasy dresses of Godey's Lady's Book. (Godey's fashion illustrations were for inspiration and not copied from real dresses.) I notice something new every time I go back through this wonderful book.

This book is fascinating and un-put-downable. My own copy is now heavily dogeared from constant re-reading.It gives the best overview currently on the market of the clothing of the average woman(mostly middle class to lower middle class)during the Civil War era, making the very valid point that only the young, affluent and urban dressed like the fashion plates in Godey's. Older women tended to still cling to styles that were "in" in their youth in the 40's-50's, such as fan bodices and wider collars. Most middle class / working class women made only the concessions to the demands of dame fashion that they could afford, depending on their economic circumstances.Although I see that another reviewer has criticized the work as not being a "scientific" study (in that it's not a statistical survey nor does it explain WHY certain fashions evolved),it should be pointed out that the book does not claim to cover these areas, but instead is a very focused study on the clothing details of a four year period among the socio-economic classes who could afford cartes de visites (e.g. all but the poorest)On the other hand, the books I have seen which DO go into depth on the reasons behind the evolution of fashions, do not give the amount of in-depth attention to the 1861-65 period that Juanita Leisch does, nor do they pay the same level of attention to detail.If more women wishing to get into Civil War reenacting read this book, we'd have less folks flouncing around in period-incorrect gear, which would lead to better "living history" for the public.

This book was a rare treat for me. It was well put together and well thought out. It was clear that the author had spent COUNTLESS hours making sure that all of the photos were within the specified time period, and that contrasting photos of different time periods were used for illustrative purposes. I am a collector of historical garments, and I always find that pictures of the period are a big help in being able to date my "finds". Special thanks to the author for allowing us a peak into her extensive CDV collection!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gives a reasonable overview of women's period clothing during the Civil War. It is clearly presented, and accomplishes just what it sets out to do; acquaint one with Civil War fashions as they relate to the re-enacting hobby. This is not an academic work meant for research of costuming but an accessible source for beginning re-enactors. It should not be taken out of the context for which it was meant.