Victims of Fashion

Helen Cowie is Professor of History at the University of York, where she researches the history of animals and the history of science. She is author of Conquering Nature in Spain and its Empire, 1750–1850 (2011), Exhibiting Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain: Empathy, Education, Entertainment (2014) and Llama (2017).

• Introduction; 1. Murderous millinery; 2. The seal and his jacket; 3. Is the elephant following the dodo?; 4. Silk of the Andes; 5. Bitter perfumes; 6. Monkey business; Conclusion; Epilogue.

'From civets horribly confined to produce perfume scent to elephants killed for ivory billiard balls and piano keys, Cowie demonstrates how fashion “valued” animals, even while letters to the RSPCA illustrated concern for animal agency and welfare.  Contemporary debates surrounding nonhuman animals' victimization are rooted in the human animal's propensity to display.' Abel Alves, Ball State University