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During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there was a tubercular 'moment' in which perceptions of the consumptive disease became inextricably tied to contemporary concepts of beauty, playing out in the clothing fashions of the day. With the ravages of the illness widely regarded as conferring beauty on the sufferer, it became commonplace to regard tuberculosis as a positive affliction, one to be emulated in both beauty practices and dress. While medical writers of the time believed that the fashionable way of life of many women actually rendered them susceptible to the disease, Carolyn A. Day investigates the deliberate and widespread flouting of admonitions against these fashion practices in the pursuit of beauty. Through an exploration of contemporary social trends and medical advice revealed in medical writing, literature and personal papers, Consumptive Chic uncovers the intimate relationship between fashionable women's clothing, and medical understandings of the illness. Illustrated with over 40 full color fashion plates, caricatures, medical images, and photographs of original garments, this is a compelling story of the intimate relationship between the body, beauty, and disease - and the rise of 'tubercular chic'.

x, 189 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm

Consumptive chic : a history of beauty, fashion, and disease / Carolyn A. Day.

A mildly diverting film about the benefits of appropriate dress. Firstly, through the form of intertitles, a dog and cat with kittens are shown; 'the animal baby arrives in the world fully dressed', whereas the human baby is not (a nurse is shown holding a young baby). Then two modes of female dress are shown. From 1560, a woman wears Elizabethan clothing and walks in a garden, then from 1890 a woman wears Victorian dress. An intertitle explains the extreme discomfit experienced by these ladies as the dresses were so heavy. Two modern young women wearing tennis dresses are seen. A child is undressed by his mother and his clothes (comprising of several layers) are weighed. It is noted that children should not be burdened with excessive layers. An example of this is shown whereby a child's clothes are weighed amounting to 4 lbs! A brief animation then illustrates a small child carrying an ox. Next using graphic illustrations the desirability of wearing dark colours in the winter and light colours in the summer is explained. The benefits of wearing wool next to the skin are emphasised then men shear sheep. A magnificant fleece is held up. A nurse then demonstrates the absorbancy of different fabrics relative to each other. Cotton is not very absorbant; a sweaty child with his shirt stuck to his back is shown as a caution against colds; followed by a very sick child in bed (the relationship between these shots is inferred). Next, people are advised not to use garters - a woman with horrible lumps on her legs around the constricted area illustrates this. Advice is given not to tie babies up in binders - to enable their limbs to move freely. The importance of non-inflammable clothing is illustrated; clothing set to dry in front of a fire catches light. Turning to shoes, emphasis is on having water tight shoes which are well fitting. An intertitle states that 'modern clothing should hang from the shoulders'. Finally, viewers are exhorted to be fashionable as modern garments are healthy, cheap and easy to make at home.

1 Digibeta (14:49 mins) : sil, black and white; PAL. 2 DVDs (14:49 mins each) : sil., black and white; PAL.

Health and clothing.

Medical Heritage Library

The influence of clothing on health / by Frederick Treves.

Tight-lacing, founded on physiology and phrenology, or, The evils inflicted on mind and body by compressing the organs of animal life, thereby retarding and enfeebling the vital functions / by O.S. Fowler.

xiv, 225 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour) ; 26 cm

Fashion victims : the dangers of dress past and present / by Alison Matthews David.

A mildly diverting film about the benefits of appropriate dress.

1 encoded moving image (14:49 min.) : silent, black and white

Considérations sur cinq fléaux : l'abus du corset, l'usage du tabac, la passion du jeu, l'abus des liqueurs fortes, et l'agiotage / par Charles Dubois.

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Consumptive chic : a history of beauty, fashion, and disease / Carolyn A. Day.

Health and clothing.

The influence of clothing on health / by Frederick Treves.

Tight-lacing, founded on physiology and phrenology, or, The evils inflicted on mind and body by compressing the organs of animal life, thereby retarding and enfeebling the vital functions / by O.S. Fowler.

Fashion victims : the dangers of dress past and present / by Alison Matthews David.

Health and clothing.

Considérations sur cinq fléaux : l'abus du corset, l'usage du tabac, la passion du jeu, l'abus des liqueurs fortes, et l'agiotage / par Charles Dubois.

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Consumptive chic : a history of beauty, fashion, and disease / Carolyn A. Day.

Health and clothing.

The influence of clothing on health / by Frederick Treves.

Tight-lacing, founded on physiology and phrenology, or, The evils inflicted on mind and body by compressing the organs of animal life, thereby retarding and enfeebling the vital functions / by O.S. Fowler.

Fashion victims : the dangers of dress past and present / by Alison Matthews David.

Health and clothing.

Considérations sur cinq fléaux : l'abus du corset, l'usage du tabac, la passion du jeu, l'abus des liqueurs fortes, et l'agiotage / par Charles Dubois.

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