Marion McNealy

Heraldry was an important part of everyday life in early modern 16th century Germany. It defined in easily identifiable pictures who and what belonged to whom. It was used by towns and families alike to mark property, identify members of the family and staff, and served as a rallying point for patriotic identity. However, it was not always easy for the ordinary person to keep track of which flag belonged to which town or family. During this era, many heraldry books and resources were created and published to assist in identification, such as this guide to the heraldic flags of the Holy Roman Empire. Published originally in 1545, this guide provides the modern reader with an amazing wealth of 143 full color woodcuts depicting the flags, Landsknecht military clothing and amour of the time. Amazingly, the woodcuts were painted very close to the publication date, resulting in a fantastic reference source for the wide range of colors and styles in male military clothing fashions for the 1540s. It's a must have reference book for anyone interested in mid-16th century German clothing, armor or heraldry.

The wars of the 16th century were different from the isolated conflicts of the 15th century, spanning the continent and engaging many different parties at the same time. Emperors Maximilian I and Charles V were challenged on many fronts, externally by the Swiss, French, and Ottoman Turks, along with internal conflicts between the German princes and their people. It was a time of uprisings and invasions, of broken treaties and of instability, religious reformation and rebellions. Some of these conflicts were recorded in woodcut form, and published shortly after they happened. These woodcuts show the Landsknecht and their opponents in action, instead the more commonly seen individual depictions. The book contains scenes from the battles and sieges depicted in the German single sheet woodcuts: Pavia, Vienna, Budapest, and M nster... these along with many others, are all presented as a whole, then each individual plate, and pages of details, magnified for better viewing. There is also a brief description of the battle, and an explanation of the scenes in the woodcuts.

A compilation of eight different German modelbucher dating from 1524-1556, with 200 unique plates. The plates have been organized by type and style elements. Historical embroidered and woven pieces which use identical or similar patterns will inspire and guide you in your use of this book.

Surviving 16th century garments are very rare, with such a small sample of the wide variety of garments which were worn, many questions are left unanswered for those who wish to study the clothes of the time, or to recreate them. However, there are a few tailors' pattern manuscripts in libraries and museums around the world. This book contains three 16th century Austrian tailors' guild masterbook manuscripts, or schnittbuch, Nidermayr (1560), Enns and Leonfeldner (1590). Tailors in the 16th century made not only clothing, but also a great variety of other items besides: tents, saddle covers, flags, wagon covers, and garments for church ceremonies. A tailor's masterbook contains drawings of all of the major garments and other items that a tailor have been expected to know how to make in order to pass his master tailors test. These manuscripts were created by authors in three separate towns for a similar purpose: to help journeyman tailors study and pass the master tailor exam. The original manuscripts have been transcribed and translated into English. To assist the modern reader, additional information has been included to explain the historical context of the manuscripts and the included garments. Also included are: pattern diagrams, detailed descriptions of the cut and style, illustrations and painting depicting the garments, and similar extant museum items when possible.

40 unique coloring pages of woodcuts from the 16th century depicting Landsknecht soldiers and camp followers.

Corset Cutting and Making contains 19 historical corset patterns and 1 brassiere pattern dating from 1900 to 1920. These historical corset patterns are a goldmine of unusual styles and shapes, ranging from fashionable corsets, to maternity and nursing, athletic and equestrian corsets.The corset patterns include: Nine Edwardian straight-front style corsets, aka S-bend, dated 1900-1907;One pre-World War 1 long line style corset, dated 1911-1912;Five World War 1 era corsets, including one for factory workers, dated 1914-1918;One 1920s athletic corset;Three Children's waists, dated 1890-1920.These patterns have not been drafted from museum examples, but are drafted from patterns which were published pre-1923. Each pattern is accompanied by a short historical background, construction information and examples gathered from historical catalogs.