1889 National Garment Cutter Downloads

This 1889 National Garment Cutter Downloads set is a digital reproduction of the original pattern drafting guide issued in 1889 by Goldsberry, Doran & Nelson. Created for dressmakers, tailors, and home seamstresses, this historic work is one of the definitive resources on proportional garment construction in the late Victorian era.

Historical Context

The National Garment Cutter series revolutionized dressmaking in the late 19th century by providing a proportional drafting system that allowed garments to be scaled to an individual’s measurements. These publications were widely used in both professional tailoring shops and by skilled home dressmakers of the 1880s and 1890s. For more on the history of proportional drafting systems, see the Smithsonian Institution’s collection entry.

What You Receive

This download includes high-quality PDF reproductions of the 1889 edition of the National Garment Cutter, prepared from original TIFF scans in our archive. All files have been processed for clarity and historical accuracy. Due to file size, PDFs are provided in multiple downloads under 50MB each.

• Original-format PDFs created from high-resolution TIFF scans, sized to A4 for convenient printing.
• Black and white PDF set of all 1889 pages for easy viewing or reduced-ink printing.
• Black and white artwork PDF containing all illustrations from the 1889 volume.
• Instruction PDF compiled from related editions (1885, 1888, and 1889) to provide complete proportional drafting guidance.

Table of Contents

The original 1889 publication did not include a contents list. This modern table of contents has been compiled for your convenience:

• Child’s Costume – 3
• Ladies Costume – 6
• Girl’s Costume – 9
• Misses Walking Costume – 11
• Ladies Costume – 13
• Girls Gabrielle – 15
• Ladies Open Drawers – 17
• Child’s Costume – 18
• Ladies Costume – 20
• Little Girls' Dress – 23
• Girls Plaited Waist – 24
• Ladies' Tea Gown – 26
• Ladies Polonaise – 28
• Misses Costume – 30
• Boys' Shirt, Waist & Pants – 34
• Ladies Wrap – 35
• Ladies Costume – 36
• Ladies Skirt – 38
• Child’s Costume – 39
• Ladies Costume – 40
• Ladies Kitchen Apron – 43
• Ladies Night Gown – 44
• Ladies' Morning Dress – 45
• Child’s Cloak – 46
• Infants High Neck Dress – 47
• Ladies Polonaise – 48
• Child’s Costume – 50
• Ladies Street Jacket – 52
• Child’s Costume – 55
• Child’s Cloak – 56
• Girls Apron – 58
• Ladies Newmarket – 59
• Ladies Wrap – 62
• Ladies Street Costume – 64
• Ladies Spencer Waist – 70
• Ladies Short Wrap – 71
• Child’s Cloak – 72
• Child’s Costume – 73
• Ladies Chemise – 75
• Child’s Combination – 76
• Ladies Street Costume – 78
• Ladies Wrap – 82
• Child's Street Costume – 83
• Ladies Combination – 85
• Boys Suit – 86
• Men’s Overalls – 89
• Boys Overcoat – 90
• Boys Street Costume – 92
• Gentlemen’s Business Suit – 94
• Gentlemen’s Overalls – 96
• Child’s Costume – 97
• Gentlemen's Prince Albert Coat – 98
• Gentlemen’s Suit – 99
• Boys Overcoat – 100
• Gentlemen’s Overcoat – 102

Please Note

This is a reproduction of the pattern book pages only. It does not include rulers, measuring devices, or replicas of drafting tools originally referenced in the 1889 publication. No physical items will be shipped; this is a digital product.

Skill Level

4/5 – Suitable for experienced dressmakers, tailors, and pattern drafting enthusiasts familiar with period sewing methods. This rating is based on the need for measurement accuracy, interpretation of late Victorian drafting instructions, and potential adaptation to modern sizing.

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