History's Best Selling Products of 1858

Hats off to 1858! Few items commanded as much fanfare and nationwide excitement as Designer clothing. Alongside sensationally popular hits like The Courtship of Miles Standish and essential classics, consumers eagerly embraced the swell Yankee ingenuity and home-front craftsmanship. Pioneering outfits from industry leaders like House of Worth and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow set the standard for quality, producing celebrated items that swept main street from coast to coast as genuine top-flight hits. Browse our definitive retrospective below to rediscover the genuine articles of the era.

1. Designer clothing

   Released in 1858 by House of Worth, Charles Frederick Worth

   The concept of 'designer clothing,' as we understand it today—garments conceived and branded by a specific, identifiable creative visionary—revolutionized the fashion world in the mid-19th century. Prior to this, dressmaking was often an anonymous craft, with clients dictating styles. However, with the emergence of figures like Charles Frederick Worth, clothing transformed from a mere necessity into an artistic statement and a marker of status. Worth, establishing his maison de couture in Paris in 1858, became the first to dictate styles to his wealthy clientele rather than merely executing their requests. This pivotal shift marked the birth of haute couture and set the stage for the global phenomenon of designer fashion, immediately garnering immense popularity among European aristocracy and setting a new precedent for luxury and exclusivity in dress.

2. The Courtship of Miles Standish

   Released in 1858 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ticknor and Fields

   The Courtship of Miles Standish, published in 1858, holds immense historical significance as it provided a widely accessible and deeply romanticized portrayal of America's foundational Pilgrim narrative. Released on the cusp of the Civil War, the poem offered a nostalgic and unifying vision of American heritage, rooted in the steadfast virtues and faith of its early settlers. It immediately captured the public imagination, cementing Longfellow's status as a national poet and profoundly influencing how generations of Americans would visualize and interpret the story of Plymouth Colony. Its impact extended beyond literature, contributing to a national mythology that emphasized heroism and divine providence in the nation's beginnings, albeit through a highly idealized lens.