The Victorian Age, named for the British Queen Victoria, was a time of unprecedented social change. Clothing went through great transformations as well—new inventions like the sewing machine, paper patterns, and synthetic dyes allowed for mass production of inexpensive clothing, and the rise of the department store, the fashion press, and the catalogue allowed people living in London or San Francisco to buy the latest Paris fashions. Spanning the years from 1837 to 1901, The Victorian Age examines fashion during this era, when social position could be determined by a person’s dress.

Specific coverage includes the rising popularity of facial hair, the crinoline, the industrialisation of fabric production, beaver hats and whalebone corsets, the invention of colors such as mauve and magenta, the recycling of clothes, Little Lord Fauntleroy suits, mourning dress, military clothing, and New York High Society.