Behind the Seams is gorgeously illustrated; it has the graphic appeal of a coffee table book and the scholarly heft of a sustained academic study. Hiner's wit shines through her clear, elegant prose and makes the book an enjoyable and edifying read for anyone interested in the material culture, popular press, economic history, or gender politics of nineteenth-century France.

Nineteenth-Century French Studies

Richly illustrated with vivid full colour reproductions ... Hiner deserves great credit for illuminating the lives of these women in this striking book. ... [She] has expertly crafted an analysis which challenges the traditional view of women's work in the nineteenth century.

Cultural and Social History

Susan Hiner's innovative study uncovers the invisible world of the women at the heart of the French fashion industry in the nineteenth century… She truly takes us behind the seams of hidden women's work by providing the reader with otherwise forgotten historical documents. This book is essential for those interested in nineteenth-century cultural history and women's roles in nineteenth-century society, and for those studying class and gender ideologies in this period.

French Studies

This outstanding study, rich in newly discovered archival materials, illuminates the pathways to professionalization forged by skilled women hatmakers, journalists, and illustrators… Brilliant analyses by Hiner, one of today's leading fashion scholars, make this beautifully illustrated book a must-read.

Heidi Brevik-Zender, University of California, Riverside, USA

Hiner's beautifully illustrated book takes us behind the shop windows and into the workshops, salons and studios of the women who made Paris fashion famous in the nineteenth century ... A must read for everyone interested in the hidden histories of fashion.

Alison Matthews David, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

An original and significant contribution to our understanding of women's lives in 19th-century France.

Valerie Steele, Museum at FIT, USA