School of Social and Political Science

Description

Historical bodies are long gone and often leave behind little evidence. Their absent nature poses a particular quandary to scholars studying the past, leaving us with many questions regarding their corporeal qualities and how these biological elements interacted with cultural and historically contingent forces. Using the individual customer measurements taken by the Saville Row tailors, Henry Poole & Co, this paper explores how an interdisciplinary analysis of this little-considered source might allow for a new history of the absent historical body when paired with other sources and insights on clothing, exercise, diet, health and physical appearance.