`There is great deal of original evidence and analysis here, as well as insights into the often-contradictory impulses at play within Victorian art and literature in its depiction of ways country people dressed. It is particularly fascinating to read about the symbolic and mythic status of landscape over this period, and to have dress foregrounded as a crucial ... Read moreelement within both debates about and visualisations of the countryside during a time of rapid industrialisation.' - Rebecca Arnold, Oak Foundation Senoir Lecturer in History of Dress & Textiles, The Courtauld Institute of Art, `A multifaceted and nuanced narrative underlies these robust garments. The text deftly and expertly contrasts and explores the layers of social hierarchy, cultural influence, economic reality, and material uncertainty that make this such a compelling field for investigation.... it offers a reference text that is both subtle and challenging, and one that confronts the enduring paradox of apparently precious collections that are comprised of seemingly unimportant, disposable, and outmoded things.' - Dr Oliver Douglas, Curator of Collections, Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading Show Less