{"product_id":"goddesses-in-the-machine-fashion-in-american-silent-film","title":"Goddesses in the Machine : Fashion in American Silent Film","description":"\u003cp class=\"redstrong\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn engaging exploration of fashion in silent film that uncovers the innovation, artistry, and entrepreneurship behind Hollywood costume design \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"redstrong\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the first decades of the twentieth century, enterprising designers recognized the importance of dress as a powerful tool for expression within the new silent medium of film. As the definitive exploration of fashion and costume in early Hollywood, Goddesses in the Machine reveals an untold story that begins in a period when actors wore their own clothes on-screen and concludes with the birth of the professional movie costume designer. Although most American silent films have been lost and costumes from the era rarely survive, with new scholarship and compelling archival materials, this publication brings to light a dazzling range of cinematic innovations and reconstructs a nearly vanished world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFeaturing pioneers of film like Billie Burke, Irene Castle, and Valeska Suratt and of design like Lucile, Madame Frances, and Clare West, this book highlights the actors and designers—many of whom were women—whose work established a blueprint for modern movie glamour. It reconstructs their legacies through garments, accessories, film stills, sketches, and printed ephemera. Essays by leading fashion historians, film scholars, curators, and Hollywood costume designers examine a variety of ensembles worn on film, from dance dresses engineered for movement to gender-bending silhouettes that challenged social norms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTogether, they trace the political, commercial, and social contexts behind fashion on the silver screen. Distributed for Bard Graduate Center\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"redstrong\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExhibition Schedule:Bard Graduate Center, New York (September 18, 2026–January 3, 2027)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003e Michelle Finamore, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003ea fashion and design historian, curator, and author. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eEmma Cormack\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is associate curator at Bard Graduate Center.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003eHardcover:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003e 400 pages | 300 colour and 10 black and white illustrations\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003eDate published:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003e  September 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003e English\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003eISBN: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003e9780300292701\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003eProduct Dimensions:\u003c\/b\u003e 26.9 x 22.3 \u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.5;\"\u003ecm\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h6\u003e","brand":"Bard Graduate Center","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57323228725626,"sku":"9780300292701","price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0915\/8302\/files\/goddesses-in-the-machine-fashion-in-american-silent-film-9780300292701-1260292396.jpg?v=1790705231","url":"https:\/\/www.museumbookstore.com\/products\/goddesses-in-the-machine-fashion-in-american-silent-film","provider":"Museum Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}