To the secretary of the Men's Dress Reform Party

A group of 3 Autograph Letters Signed and 1 Typed Letter Signed ("Eric Gill"), to Dr. A.C. Jordan about giving a prize of his "Clothes," and regarding a party given by the Men's Dress Reform Party.

Pigotts, North Dean, High Wycombe: June 9, June 17, and July 2, 1933; and May 13, 1936.

Price: $1,750.00


About the item

1 p. each, annotations in another hand at bottom of one. 8vo. To the secretary of the Men's Dress Reform Party. Old folds, letter of July 2 unevenly toned.

Item #303936

Three letters to Dr. Alfred Charles Jordan (1872-1956), British radiologist, co-founder of the New Heath Society, and Honorary Secretary of the Men's Dress Reform Party. In the letter of June 9, Gill agrees to present a copy of his book, Clothes (1931), at the upcoming revel of the MDRP, and says he's asked his publisher Cape to send a copy for him to autograph. In the letter of June 17, he encloses the book and thanks Jordan for tickets to the event, saying he will "certainly come ... unless run over or in jug." In the letter of July 2, he writes, "I did enjoy the evening at Suffolk St. very much. But I was sorry so many of the men were merely in 'fancy' dress." He also accepts Jordan's invitation to have his name added to the organization's permanent committee. Accompanying the group is a Typed Letter Signed of Gill, dated May 13, 1936, in which Gill requests four issues of the MDRP publication.

The subtitle of Gill's "Clothes," is "An essay upon the nature and significance of the natural and artificial integuments worn by men and women." In it Gill presents many ideas on dress reform for both men and women, among which was his advocacy the skirt or tunic by both men and women, a style that Gill himself adopted.

The Men's Dress Reform Party was active from 1929-1940, and grew out of discussions within the Clothing Subcommittee of the New Health Society, which had been co-founded by Dr. Jordan in 1925. (For a history of the MDRP, including Dr. Jordan's role in it, see Barbara Burman, "Better and Brighter Clothes," Journal of Design History, Vol. 8, No. 4 (1995), pp. 275-290).