The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes: Secrets from a Victorian Woman’s Wardrobe
1838, and in Tyldesley, Lancashire, a man carefully pastes fabric cuttings into a scrapbook. In slanting copperplate, he records: This is the dress my charming Anne was married in. Who was he? And who was Anne? In unravelling that mystery, Kate Strasdin has written a book that opens up the world of a Victorian industrialist’s wife. Written in an easy to read, friendly style, the book inserts snippets of the author’s personal experience as she investigates Anne Sykes’ album of dress fabrics.
The two women are linked by textile networks. Anne lived in a textile manufacturing family. 150 years later, her scrapbook reached Strasdin via a lacemaking class. On first sight, Anne’s captions were tantalising, revealing details – but not enough.
It’s a shame that the plates couldn’t be printed beside the relevant text, but colour reproduction is essential. For those familiar with the 19th century, much information in this book will be already known. For those less familiar, Strasdin’s mastery of the art of summary provides an introduction to the Victorian era, and context for Anne’s life. And what a life! Ranging from laundry marks to fancy dress balls, the cook’s dress to pirates in the south China sea, Anne’s life – and Strasdin’s researches – range far and wide. For those who would like to learn more, the book is well indexed, with a bibliography.
