ABSTRACT
Furs in Fashion as Illustrated in the
Photo-Portraiture of William Notman in the 1860s
Jana Bara
1986
This thesis studies the importance of fur as a feature of
fashion in clothing through the extensive evidence provided by William Notman in his
photo-portraits of Montreal residents during the 1860s.
In the period selected for close analysis, 1860-1870,
significant trends and new departures in photography and fashion can be isolated and
illustrated, together with the cultural and technological factors that influenced their
development.
The study examines the photographs vis-a-vis the
fashion-plates of the period and complements the documentary record of fashion, captured
in these Victorian photo-portraits, with referees to local costume to be found in the
letters, diaries and travel-logs of individuals who lived in Canada in the 1860s.
Overall, the study represents a preliminary incursion into
a vast but neglected field of art history and underlines the significance of photographic
records as a unique source of historical record.
Return to the Main Listing
of Theses or
use your browser's BACK button to return to the previous page
