Miller A., Dressed to Kill: British Naval Uniform, Masculinity and Contemporary Fashions 1748-1857

National Maritime Museum, 2007, 194 p., ISBN: 0948065745This catalogue seeks to show naval uniforms from a new perspective because it is important that the development of uniform be viewed alongside contemporary civilian fashions. The essays at the beginning not only examine the progression of regulations but also, more significantly, place the uniforms in their economic, social and historical contexts. They are followed by a catalogue of selected uniforms from the rich collection of the National Maritime Museum, which serve to reinforce the themes drawn out in the essays. The last section of line drawings of selected patterns provides an insight into the construction of the garments, particularly the way in which tailoring could both alter and accentuate body-shape, in line with current fashions. The period 1748-1857 has been chosen because 1748 saw the official introduction of naval uniform for commissioned officers. However, it was not until 1857 that ratings, or sailors, were given a regulated uniform.The First Patterns
War and Revolution
The Navy's New Clothes