The History of Hungarian Costumes

This is an artistically illustrated fine reprint that offers an overview of the Hungarian costumes from ancient times to the end of the 19th century.

It is the merit of the illustrator of the book, Mihály Nemes, to have collected all the images available from which the costumes of our ancestors could possibly be reconstructed. Where the sources were scanty, he let his fantasy go to create „a unified and comprehensive work of the Hungarian costumes instead of fragmented and scattered data”. The collection was completed by the descriptions of a well-learned scholar, Géza Nagy, who wanted to prove that Hungarian costumes have always had a special style. It was in the first half of the 19th century when the garments of historical eras, especially of the ancient Hungarians’ got first in the focus of attention. The patriotic sentiment of the Reform Era adjusted historical style to the fashion of the time, and between 1860 and 1867 everybody wore such clothes to express national resistance to the Habsburg rule. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (1867) the interest turned to the fashion of Paris, Vienna, Berlin and London.

The History of Hungarian Costumes was a great endeavor of its time, and it is still a unique work. Its fine illustrations show everything what research at the end of the 19th century could explore about Hungarian costumes. The collection was first published in 1900, and is an unparalleled creation of Hungarian archaeology, history and art.