The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes

Kate Strasdin was given an unusual book a few years ago: a ledger-style book, a little larger than A4 and covered in magenta silk. It bulged with 2,000 pieces of fabric, pasted to the pages. Each swatch had a terse explanatory note in copperplate writing, often including a date. The earliest date was 1838. Kate had a very rare item indeed: a dress diary, in this case belonging to Anne Sykes (1816-1886).

In the C18th and C19th, clothes were made for the wearer; there were almost no “off-the-peg” dresses, suits, etc.. One would buy a length of material and make it (or have it made by someone else) into clothing, upholstery or curtains. Anne Sykes obtained small fragments of the leftover material from friends and relations for her book. A typical inscription might state “Adam’s vest new on his birthday July 12th 1843.”

Kate Strasdin has carried out a HUGE amount of research since she was given the book in 2016: much of it during lockdown, using online newspapers; websites such as Ancestry and others. We learn about Anne’s life from childhood, through her accompanying Adam on postings to Singapore and Shanghai; to retirement. The author has also researched everyone who features in the book: from Anne’s sister and nieces to neighbours in Singapore and other places where Anne stayed. Strasdin tells us about how the technological developments in the cotton industry impacted the workforce and the consumers; she tries to show us how daunting it was for a young newly married woman to set up home in a foreign country. The pieces of material are simply pegs upon which the author hangs her tales of nineteenth century life.

Any criticisms? I am highly impressed with the way that the author can take a bald fact such as the baptism record for Anne’s cook, Margaret Charnock, in Whitewell, and add colour to it: “Margaret’s childhood was a rural one, growing up in a small hamlet in the Ribble valley, a landscape of rolling hills, stone walls and farmland that existed just beyond the reach of the industrial sprawl to its south. The nearest town was Clitheroe…” However, there were a few occasions where I felt the prose was a little too purple.

The book ends with the author planting a primula at the foot of Anne’s grave in Bispham. Strasdin laments the fact that, although we have seen some of Anne’s clothes and furniture covering, we have no idea what she looked like; whether her marriage was happy; whether she was sad or glad to be childless; why friends no longer feature in the book. I’ll be honest, even reading Anne’s diary via Strasdin’s intermediation, I lamented the same lack of knowing the woman. I am a man in his mid-60s and I don’t know very much about fashion, but even I found the book fascinating. If I am ever in Bispham, I shall put flowers on Anne’s grave too; and thank her for leaving us this intimate record of her Victorian life.

#TheDressDiaryofMrsAnneSykes #NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes - a unique take on history using the clothing of one ordinary Victorian woman as a gateway to explore her life and the world she lived in.

Strasdin has obviously dedicated a lot of time to researching her subject matter, but from a few scant clues and some canny historical detective work, she has pieced together a colourful collage of Victorian life. The diary doesn't take an entirely chronological approach, and Strasdin cleverly structures her chapters around characters, places and themes to build a cohesive narrative out of the clues she's been given.

I knew very little about the history of fashion or textiles outside of North and South, but I found this approach to the subject really engaging. The detail is cleverly contextualised so that it feels part of the fabric of every day life.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in history, fashion or genealogy.

This is a fascinating read if you - like me - are a lover of textiles, and textile history. As someone whose ancestors worked in the textile industry, I am always drawn to books that can bring their history to life.

The author received a book that held many samples of fabric, annoted with the names and dates of those who wore those fabrics. Eventually the creator of the sample book was revealed as a "Mrs Ann Sykes" - by a single mention of her name. The author has researched extensively into the life and times of Mrs Sykes, and discovered many interesting facts, which she has woven into a fascinating picture.

There are many "unsolved" mysteries, as there is only so much research one can do into an "ordinary" person - but with more historical archives becoming available all the time, perhaps some of these will be unravelled.

This is a book that you can dip in and out of, and is an ideal travelling companion. I actually started reading it when I was on a short trip away from home, staying in Clitheroe - which turned out to be the birthplace of Mrs Sykes! An astonishing coincidence that made the book all the more interesting to me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.