"Dreadful fashionable": the work of Mary Anne Warriner, Rhode Island milliner 1835-1841

Date
1999
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University of Delaware
Abstract
From 1835 to 1841, Mary Anne Warriner (1794-1849), a widowed milliner of Warwick, Rhode Island, recorded orders as well as local events in her daybook. The document provides a wealth of information about the production and consumption of women's dress in an early industrial community. This study explores Mary Anne Warriner's work, including her role as a businesswoman, arbiter of taste, and agent of fashion, as well as the goods she produced and services she provided. ☐ The daybook contributes to an understanding of the role of women, fashion, and work in an early industrial community. Other period sources such as fashion illustrations, prescriptive literature, and photographs help illuminate the document and broaden an understanding of fashion and the millinery business. In addition, wills, inventories, genealogies, and local histories help set the scene for this study of the milliner and her community. ☐ Among the few studies of a female artisan and her work, this thesis concludes that Warriner's business was part of a female economy made up of all classes of women. Her millinery was the site of exchange among women of not only goods and services, but information about local events as well as international fashion. The fashion economy in Warwick created, manifested, and perpetuated inequalities among women. At the same time, however, it enabled Warriner to maintain her independence as a widowed woman, help support herself and her family, and influence the taste of her community, while earning respect from her peers based not only on her ancestry, but also her work.
Description
"Copyrighted materials in this document have not been filmed at the request of the author. They are available for consultation, however, in the author’s university library. Pages 98-117"--Unnumbered page inserted by UMI.
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