Pitfalls of Using books and Museum pieces

In order to do historical sewing I have to do some extensive research. Before the 1700s there are - to my knowledge in costume musueums no actual existing examples of pre 1700 clothes surviving, although items such as shoes and jewelery do exist in the Manchester Museum. The pics here are taken at a museum
although you can see the stitching, pattern cutting and fabrics close-up you
cannot see the back views in the glass case.

This was luckily opened out in the glass case.


from paintings, etchings and tapestries of the time.
After the mid 1700s some clothing can be seen in costume museums, but it is better to see it personally as even books like the Kyoto costume museum do not show the full, all round view. The pictures showing the detail in the material, embroidery and trimmings and even the weave is visable but you cannot see both front and back views in this books.

In Museums even when you do see the back and front with a close up of detail you can't always make out how it is fastened. In the 1700s you can tell that they used laces or tabs through which laces are threaded and ties at the shoulder. You can see that the bottom of the corsets finished in a scolloped edge this being because they wore a pannier which was drawn in at the waist and made the dress stick out at