Conclusion

Summary

In 1899, a Mrs A. C. Tracy wrote to The Animals’ Friend requesting advice on ‘Humane Dress’. As she explained, ‘Last winter I had, on two or three very cold days, to wear sealskin and bear alike; this year I want to avoid that, but being very far from strong, I shall be made to wear them, unless some neck wrap is in place equally warm.’ While several fur substitutes were already on the market, Mrs Tracy was yet to be convinced by the ones she had tried, rejecting ostrich feather boas, which were ruined by the ‘damp and fogs’, along with ‘woollen “clouds”, scarves, or any ugly or unfashionable article’. Indeed, she had ‘a stiff neck now from want of a warm necklet, and several ladies whom I have persuaded to give up furs have asked me what to do’.