The Pocket A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660–1900 Barbara Burman, Ariane Fennetaux

“What particularly interests Burman and Fennetaux is the way in which women of all classes have historically used these tie-on pockets as a supplementary body part to help them negotiate their way through a world that was not built to suit them” —Kathryn Hughes, Guardian
 

'The authors' careful research is enthralling . . . a very handsome illustrated book'—Libération

'A fascinating book'—Le Monde

"Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux demonstrate the riches to be found in a unique gendered accessory – the tie-on pocket. They illuminate centuries of British women’s history through their deep knowledge of material culture, showcasing women’s priorities and embodied experiences. Omnipresent, though often hidden, pockets evoked fashion and female virtues. Recovered histories of pockets, their embellishment and persistent usage, reveal vital features of women’s lives"– Professor Beverly Lemire, Henry Marshall Tory Chair at the University of Alberta
 

"The extensive archival research and thoughtful analysis elevate the pocket beyond a utilitarian piece of clothing, illustrating — with great success — the ways in which the nuances and details of women's lived experiences can be expressed through material objects."—Charlotte Fletcher, University of Southampton in the Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies

“The Pocket is a deft and adroit history of women’s lives as told through their clothing. It illuminates women’s lives in their richness and complexity, taking the reader as close to historical ‘experience’ as it is possible to be.”—Anna Parker, Review 31

"Occupying the hinterland between dress and underwear, the pocket has been discounted as rather too private and individual to yield universal truth, yet that is exactly what Burman and Fennetaux have done with this remarkable new study."—Selvedge