Press

“An extraordinary trove of clothing unearthed from the attic of a chic but thrifty lumber scion named Augusta Roddis. . . . Jane Bradbury [and Edward Maeder] wrote the substantive and mesmerizing book.”

The New York Times

“The Roddis collection, now housed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, is a record of three generations’ clothes, accessories and related ephemera, which provide a fascinating insight into upper-middle-class American life from the 1850s to the 1990s. This rich account of personal and peer-group taste is not just an absorbing micro-history; it is of broader sociological interest, and tells us much about the role played by dress in (auto)biography and memory.”

Times Literary Supplement

This magnificent survey of three generations of Roddis women and their families certainly encapsulates the changing times of American life.

"The Culture Trip" blog

“Don't be concerned that you've never heard of the Roddis family, as that is part of the point. . . .we are given a look at what many 'average' Americans were wearing in the years the book covers. . . .I am enjoying this book so much.”

"The Vintage Traveler" blog

“More than 200 perfectly preserved garments and accessories, along with other materials, from a century and half of collecting. The story of the family that saved them and photographs of the items, along with notes on fashion salons and a helpful glossary, make this book something special.”

St. Louis Post Dispatch

“The book brims with evocative descriptions of the garments and their original owners spanning 150 years of fashion and social history.”

Marshfield News-Herald

“So often books like this can sit unread and looking very nice on the coffee table but I have read this cover to cover … and of course have fallen in love with a few favourite dresses...”

"dovegreyreader_scribbles" blog

“The book is full of wonderful detail—eye-popping embroidery on handbags and wonderful fur, flowers and feathers on afternoon hats—Prada eat your heart out here…I could not put it down.”

Fashion Theory

“There is nothing more powerful and potent than clothing and this book celebrates the extraordinary nature of ordinary lives, and the power of clothing to bring history to life.”

Hamish Bowles, International Editor-at-Large, Vogue

“Fascinating insights into the significance of fashion in the lives of ordinary men and women.”

Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York

“This stunning book perfectly weaves together the fabric of fashion with the social history of America.”

Karen Augusta, Fashion Appraiser and Owner, Augusta Auction Company

Both the book and exhibition provide a rare opportunity to intimately explore one family’s history through the lens of the clothing they wore.

"The Art of Dress" blog

   

Press

“An extraordinary trove of clothing unearthed from the attic of a chic but thrifty lumber scion named Augusta Roddis. . . . Jane Bradbury [and Edward Maeder] wrote the substantive and mesmerizing book.”

The New York Times

“The Roddis collection, now housed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, is a record of three generations’ clothes, accessories and related ephemera, which provide a fascinating insight into upper-middle-class American life from the 1850s to the 1990s. This rich account of personal and peer-group taste is not just an absorbing micro-history; it is of broader sociological interest, and tells us much about the role played by dress in (auto)biography and memory.”

Times Literary Supplement

This magnificent survey of three generations of Roddis women and their families certainly encapsulates the changing times of American life.

"The Culture Trip" blog

“Don't be concerned that you've never heard of the Roddis family, as that is part of the point. . . .we are given a look at what many 'average' Americans were wearing in the years the book covers. . . .I am enjoying this book so much.”

"The Vintage Traveler" blog

“More than 200 perfectly preserved garments and accessories, along with other materials, from a century and half of collecting. The story of the family that saved them and photographs of the items, along with notes on fashion salons and a helpful glossary, make this book something special.”

St. Louis Post Dispatch

“The book brims with evocative descriptions of the garments and their original owners spanning 150 years of fashion and social history.”

Marshfield News-Herald

“So often books like this can sit unread and looking very nice on the coffee table but I have read this cover to cover … and of course have fallen in love with a few favourite dresses...”

"dovegreyreader_scribbles" blog

“The book is full of wonderful detail—eye-popping embroidery on handbags and wonderful fur, flowers and feathers on afternoon hats—Prada eat your heart out here…I could not put it down.”

Fashion Theory

“There is nothing more powerful and potent than clothing and this book celebrates the extraordinary nature of ordinary lives, and the power of clothing to bring history to life.”

Hamish Bowles, International Editor-at-Large, Vogue

“Fascinating insights into the significance of fashion in the lives of ordinary men and women.”

Valerie Steele, Director and Chief Curator, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York

“This stunning book perfectly weaves together the fabric of fashion with the social history of America.”

Karen Augusta, Fashion Appraiser and Owner, Augusta Auction Company

Both the book and exhibition provide a rare opportunity to intimately explore one family’s history through the lens of the clothing they wore.

"The Art of Dress" blog