Tuesday, May 31, 2011

An Even Better Version of Ackermann's Online, in Full

Ackermann's fabric samples, from a month in 1813.
Thanks to Sabine, who located another source for Ackermann's online at Archive.org. Go to archive.org, and in the search box, copy this text string:

Ackermann, Rudolph

Why should we be extra happy at this version? Several excellent reasons:
  • Because the text is searchable. Holy grail, my friends, is fully searchable text. Allows all kinds of interesting research.
    • With text search, it's easy to locate actual samples of real dress fabric. Yes, you heard me. Ackermann's didn't just provide fashion plates, but promoted British textile manufacturers. The image at the top of this post shows dress fabric pasted right into the engraving on the right page. It's from the 1813 volume. If you click the image you can read the accompanying text on the right page.
    • With text search, it's easy to hunt down references to fashion in ads, letters, and other articles.
  • Because you can download the volumes in all kinds of formats.
By the way, the issues make terrific historical reading. Get your viewpoints on the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812, the latest music and literature and manufacturing news here!

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