Material Lives

There is something deeply moving about encountering eighteenth-century women via the things they stitched, wore, cut, drew and painted. Richly detailed, evocative and precise – as well as beautifully illustrated – Material Lives has much in common with the intricate, creative women's work that Dyer studies in this book. * Hannah Greig, University of York, UK * Serena Dyer’s lavishly illustrated and brilliantly researched book calls for us to rethink the immense cultural power of the “needles, brushes, glue and scissors” that four Georgian women used to fashion new versions of history. It is a compelling read. * Alison Matthews David, Ryerson University, Canada * A meticulous, insightful and intimate reconstruction of how four genteel women recorded and memorialized their lives through ‘material life writing’ ... [and] a compelling vision of women’s engagement in the eighteenth-century world of goods as knowledgeable, skilful and creative makers. * Karen Harvey, University of Birmingham, UK * This splendid book portrays the unforgettable world of female imagination, skill and artistic talent that shaped consumer identity in the eighteenth century. * Giorgio Riello, University of Warwick, UK * Material Lives offers a brilliant re-evaluation of eighteenth-century women’s lives through their craft practices. Organised around four rich case studies, Dyer’s book eloquently questions the presumed primacy of the textual archive and models an innovative interdisciplinary methodology that has far-reaching repercussions for the study of women’s history. * Jennie Batchelor, University of Kent, UK *