This book has been a labor of love that has kept me constantly entertained for more than a decade, and would not have been possible without the assistance of more people than I have room to thank. Most importantly, thank you to my amazing family for believing in me when I chose to change disciplines and follow my heart. I am so very grateful to you, mom and dad, for teaching me to chase my dreams and to persevere in the face of whatever obstacles come my way. Donal, Lorraine, Benjamin, and Emily this book is dedicated to you and is a testament to your love and support. To my beloved niece and nephew, Avalyn and Brennan, thank you for being so excited about Aunt Nee Nee’s book and constantly wanting to be a part of the process. Your enthusiasm as I trudged through archives, and thirst for the stories I uncovered, has made the process all the sweeter. It is hard to believe that you are the same age as the project and watching you grow up as the book did has been incredibly special.
The encouragement and assistance I have received from other academics and friends has been invaluable, both to my development as a scholar as well as to Consumptive Chic. To my current and former colleagues and wonderful friends, thank you for your constant advice and support as I navigated academic life and the ins and outs of publishing. Special thanks must go to Dr. Mark Smith for your championing of a young scholar and to Dr. Hugh Belsey and Claudia and Robert Maxtone-Graham for their kind assistance with Mary Graham’s dress.
I am extremely grateful to Dr. James Secord for encouraging this project when I first stumbled across the idea and words cannot express what the constant support of Dr. George Bernstein has meant to me. Thank you for taking a chance on me, not only as your student but also for being willing to back a dissertation on the strange juxtaposition of fashion and disease. I would also like to thank Dr. James Boyden and Dr. Alisa Plant who championed this book when it was only a dissertation proposal. Your friendship and wisdom have been invaluable and are so appreciated. I have also been the beneficiary of the generosity of so many archivists, but a special thank you must be given to the wonderful staff of the rare books room at the Cambridge University Library who aided me in making the most of my time in the archives. To that same end, thanks to my amazing friend Dr. Renae Domaschnez who made those brief trips possible. Just as I was slated to begin my research, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans closing Tulane University and wiping out my funding. Renae rescued me, and my academic career, by offering me a free place to stay on that first trip and on many subsequent visits to Britain. Special thanks must also go to my friend Dr. Steve Mason who has subsequently put me up on numerous research trips making both this and my next book possible.