I was hoping for exactly what the cover shows, a layout of pattern pieces for dresses from the years given. Instead it's drawings of finished garments and a few ads for sewing and beauty products. Nice I suppose for showing a cross section of the types of garments the typical woman of the time would have worn bbut I was looking for something more along the lines of Authentic Victorian Fashion Patterns: A Complete Lady's Wardrobe which is limited to the 1890s but has scale drawings of the patterns themselves.