The Women Who Clothed the Stuart Queens

This study explores - for the first time - the changing professions and roles of the women who worked to clothe six Stuart queens between 1603-1714: Anna of Denmark, Henrietta Maria, Catherine of Braganza, Mary of Modena, Queen Mary II and Queen Anne. Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout, and using a wide range of written, visual and material sources, this book explores how changing patterns of work and consumption saw women become key producers, retailers and consumers of fashion during the 17th century, and illuminates the strong connections between the royal courts and London''s fashion marketplace. From royal wardrobes, workrooms and laundries to workshops and retail premises in London''s bustling streets, Sarah A. Bendall highlights the integral role that women of multiple backgrounds played in the creation and maintenance of elite dress. The royal accounts show that this work was facilitated by migration, global trade, familial networks and changing guild structures, and that the patronage of queens and elite women was integral to supporting and promoting women''s rise in the fashion trades as celebrated silkwomen, tirewoman, milliners and mantua makers. The Women Who Clothed the Start Queens challenges understandings of women''s work in the court, the household and the fashion marketplace, and shows how clothing played a key role in women''s economic participation in 17th and 18th-century England more broadly. It offers fascinating insights for all those interested in the history of women and gender, fashion, material culture and consumption, and, of course, to all those interested in Stuart history.

Product details

• Authors: Sarah Bendall, Sarah A Bendall, Sarah A. Bendall, Sarah A Bendall, Sarah Bendall
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 02.04.2026
• EAN: 9781350407312
• ISBN: 978-1-350-40731-2
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Interior design, design; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, HISTORY / Modern / 16th Century, HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century, DESIGN / Fashion & Accessories, General & world history, History of art & design styles: c 1400 to c 1600, Fashion & textiles: design, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Gender studies, gender groups, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, General and world history, 16th century, c 1500 to c 1599, c 1500 to c 1600, C 1600 To C 1700, History of art & design styles: c 1600 to c 1800, Fashion and textile design: accessories