This is a very dry and academic survey of the power of textiles just after Revolutionary War and leading up to the Civil War。 It is not about women's clothing and is more about the importance of textiles （from tablecloths and curtains to the rags used to clean machinery） and how valued and important they were at the time。 This includes discussion of taxation， trade policies， the shift from cottons to silks， etc。 - all with a focus on marginalized people of the United States （mostly slaves and wo This is a very dry and academic survey of the power of textiles just after Revolutionary War and leading up to the Civil War。 It is not about women's clothing and is more about the importance of textiles （from tablecloths and curtains to the rags used to clean machinery） and how valued and important they were at the time。 This includes discussion of taxation， trade policies， the shift from cottons to silks， etc。 - all with a focus on marginalized people of the United States （mostly slaves and women）。The reading is laborious but it is clear the author fact checked herself very carefully and drew conclusions warranting a relook at just how valuable a commodity textiles were at the beginning of the United States history。 There are a few photographs but for the most part， it is the academic discussions of the economic implications of textiles with examples from records of individuals in history and how textiles impacted their lives （e。g。 a slave who ran away couldn't defend against her masters owning her but could argue that she actually owned the dress she was wearing）。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more