Elephant's Breath and London Smoke: Historical Color Names, Definitions, and Uses in Fashion, Fabric and Art

This is the resource I've been searching for forever! I could go on and on and on like this, for pages! Finding out why some colors are called what they are, is just wonderful. This book is an absolute necessity for any fashion designer, any artiste, any graphic artist, or any person who adores COLOR, the way I do!

I wanted something like this for a long time. The names of colors used, in the past, are lovely. The book is easy to read and enjoyable. If you like historical fashion, add this to your library.I purchased this book, no freebies. Amazon should not allow vendor discounts in returned for ANY reviews.

I didn't buy this book because of the fashion info. I'm a writer and found the history of colors fascinating and am always looking for a new (or old) way to describe something. I must have loaned my first copy to a fellow writer (can't remember who, so I can't get it back). Am happy to buy another copy of Deb Salisbury's fine book. It is full of fabulous facts and information.

I sew 19th century clothes for my family to wear to Living History events and I use original documentation for construction. Fabric sometimes/often have different names today than back then and can be difficult to obtain. This reference book helps to bridge the gap between the 19th and the 21st century.

This is an excellent reference book for those interested in decor and clothing of the Victorian era.