Beauty Advice 1870s Style…

October 30, 2015April 5, 2020 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Feminine beauty has been a hot topic for discussion throughout recorded history and the 19th Century was no exception. With the growth of mass market publications and inexpensive books during the 19th Century, so was the mass proliferation of self-help manuals dealing with the subject of how one can enhance their beauty. It has often been stated by commentators that the growth of the health and beauty aids industry grew along with the fashion industry and that both were part of the overall consumer economy that began to take shape as part of the Industrial Revolution and it fed on people’s desire to improve their appearance, or at least how others perceived their appearance.

One such example of these self-help manuals was one titled, somewhat bluntly, The Ugly-Girl Papers or, Hints For The Toilet. Published by Harper’s Bazar in 1874, the book is a compendium of various beauty advice articles originally printed in various issues of Harper’s Bazar. Covering everything from proper posture and diet to keeping the skin soft, the book offers a variety of advice ranging from the merely amusing to the extremely questionable (and especially those involving various toxic chemicals). However, in the book’s defense, there are some things that are still used to this day, albeit in a modified form.

Particular ideas and attitudes in regard to fashion and beauty reflect their times and the 19th Century was no different. Contained in the preface of the book is some of the basic philosophy behind the book:

The first requisite in a woman toward pleasing others is that she should be pleased with herself. In no other way can she attain that self-poise, that satisfaction, which leaves her at liberty to devote herself successfully to
others.

I appeal to the ugly sisterhood to know if this is not so. Could a woman be made to believe herself beautiful, it would go far toward making her so. Those hopeless, shrinking souls, alive with devotion and imagination, with hearts as fit to make passionate and worshiped lovers, or steadfast and inspiring heroines, as the fairest Venus of the sex, need not for an instant believe there is no alleviation for their case, no chance of making face and
figure more attractive and truer exponents of the spirit within.

There is scarcely any thing in the history of women more touching than the homage paid to beauty by those who have it not…

The above passage pretty much sums up the reason why woman should be concerned with improving their beauty, and especially members of the “ugly sisterhood.” In short, a woman’s ultimate fulfillment comes from her beauty and this book will help them attain it.

Needless, to say, the attitudes expressed above have changed somewhat but in some respects they still exist to this day although the language is different. The health and beauty aids industry is still with us today, stronger than ever, and its a multi-billion dollar industry that offers a seemingly endless variety of products and advice that carry the promise of enhancing out beauty (and yes, this also applies to men!).

So, in the end The Ugly-Girl Papers lives on as a testiment to another era, an historical artifact if you will. To us here at Lily Absinthe, while much of what we design is rooted in the 19th Century, our attitudes are not and we believe that every person arrives at true beauty by their own path, in their own time, and in their own way. 🙂

Styling For The 1870s

October 12, 2015April 5, 2020 / Adam Lid / 3 Comments

When designing an 1870s dress, one is often faced with an overwhelming number of choices. While the basic 1870s style was characterized by the all-encompassing bustle silhouette, all of the other details were far from uniform and there were a bewildering variety of choices available in selecting the fabrics and trims. Moreover, there were many available choices in bodice, skirt, sleeve, and train design to include the princess line that came into vogue in the late 1870s. Finally, compared to earlier eras, there is also a variety of color choices, all made possible by the development of aniline dyes.

With all these choices, where does one begin? One of the most effective methods that we have successfully employed throughout the years is through the use of contrasting colors. Below are some examples of the possibilities:

The Englishwomen’s Domestic Magazine, June 1876

The color contrast could come in the form of a striped fashion fabric with one basic color and the stripes with the other color as shown on the above left figure. On the right, the contrast comes from the trim, in this case large bows and ribbons.

With the above plate, the contrast comes from the fabrics themselves. The dress on each figure consists of two sets of fashion fabric and in some instances, one of the fabrics could be patterned. Below is another example of this:

In the above plate, we see a base fashion fabric combined with a second fabric that’s been draped over the first. The large scale use of fringe enhances the contrast and in the case of the left figure, the second fabric looks like it’s ready for slide off. Of course this is fashion plate and a bit of artistic licence is to be expected. 🙂

Fashion Plate c. 1876

Wide stripes could also be used for a more dramatic effect as demonstrated with the above two figures. The cuirass bodice offered a wider “canvas” for these effects because of its larger continuous surface era. The princess line dress offered even greater scope for dramatic effect as seen below:

Le Moniteur de la Mode, 1876

In the above plate, the dress on the left uses contrast to its fullest extent by unifying the contrasting colors in a continuous flow of fabric and especially with the train. The dress on the right is a little different in that contract color is limited to stripes and edge trimming and with the embroidered back panel on the bodice enhancing the overall effect.

The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, July 1877

In the above plate, the contrast effect is achieved through the use of striped trims to “outline” the dress in key areas. Once again, the princess line allows for this technique to be used to its greatest effect,

Now let’s look at some examples of extant garments:

Day Dress, American, 1876; Philadelphia Museum of Art (1969-147-1a,b). This dress is constructed from steel grey silk taffeta and pale pink silk plain and striped satin; grey silk knotted fringe and pink satin cording.

A color contrast can be achieved through a variety of methods. One of the easiest, as shown above, is to utilize two solid colors with one color acting as the base fashion fabric that covers the largest expanse while the other plays a secondary role with the contrast color. Note that the backside of the fashion fabric that has been turned out as shown along the bottom of the skirt while on the bodice there are revers and a faux waist coat. Below is another example of the solid color method:

With the above example, the secondary contrast fabric has been used to create a series of stripes running in a up the skirt on a diagonal angle to create a spiral effect. On the front of the bodice is a large panel in the same color along with two large sleeve cuffs.

Another creative way to approach contrast colors are to use two different colors in two different fabrics as with the silk velvet combined with a silk faille in the dress below:

Day Dress, French, 1875; Philadelphia Museum of Art (1976-120-1a–c). Constructed of silk faille and silk velvet with tatted lace.

But why stop there? 🙂 Contrast can be also achieved by having one of the fabrics be a stripe or other type of pattern as with the dress below:

Day Dress, Emile Pingat, French, c. 1874; Philadelphia Museum of Art (1938-18-12a,b)

In the above example, the two contrast fabrics are nearly equal in volume with the striped fabric being employed as an overskirt on the bottom and as trim on the bodice. Plaids and checks were also employed as with this dress:

Day Dress, c. 1873; McCord Museum (M20277.1-2)

Note how the striped fabric is dominant in the above dress, comprising most of the bodice, overskirt, and train. The solid color fabric shows up in the sleeves and underskirt and it’s the same color as the stripes in the patterned fabric with the ecru providing the contrast. This is just one possibility of many.

The princess line dress also offers many possibilities. While is maintains the bustle silhouette, the fact that there is no separate bodice and skirt creates a unified whole that runs smooth and uninterrupted as with this dress:

Day Dress, 1870s; National Museum, Prague (H2-193316)

All right, so we went a bit overboard with the last dress but it’s an interesting color combination of light pink and steel grey (although it’s hard to detect with the lighting- it shows up best on the rear). In the front is a wide panel of light pink that’s offset by the steel grey on the remainder of the dress (with the exception of some detail on the rear).

The above examples are just a small sampling of the color possibilities that are available. Combinations could simply be a matter of varying color shades such as dark and light blue or they could involve a combination of two different colors.

In choosing an effective color combination, keep in mind that while Victorians loved combining different colors, they also sought to have those colors harmonize at the same time, acting as complementary colors. Below is an illustration of a Victorian era color wheel developed in 1867 by Charles Blanc:

In the above illustration, the complementary colors are directly opposite of each other (e.g., yellow-purple, green-red, blue-orange). Naturally there are various shades in between and the complementary pairs will shift. The above is admittedly an over-simplification but it does give an idea of what designers were aiming for during the late 19th Century.

Just to complicate matters further is the idea of saturation. Saturation refers to the intensity/vividness of a color. Colors that are highly saturated are bold and rich, while those that are desaturated lack in vibrancy.

color_saturation

An effective color combination could employ the principle of using two colors that are the same except for the difference in saturation. This is somewhat related to juxtaposing fabrics of two fabrics of different color shades as mentioned above:

The above is by no means a comprehensive overview and admittedly a lot of this is subjective. The best suggestion we can give is to look and pictures of original fashion plates and extant garments, making allowances for fading and deterioration. Certain combinations are going to look “right”, others not so much (and some could be downright ghastly- no different than today).

We hope that this has provided some ideas to help you get started. 🙂

Fashion Plates…

August 1, 2015June 30, 2020 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Fashion plates are often criticized as fashion history documentation because their representations of period fashions that bear no relation to what those particular period fashions ACTUALLY looked like. At best, they’re fantastical distortions of reality, representing an ideal that could never be attained (of course, the same argument can be made about today’s fashions as depicted in the fashion press).

However, nothing could be further from the truth. The reality was that fashion plates, both colored and black and white, played a practical role in the transmission of fashion information during the 19th and early 20th Centuries; fashion photography would not come into its own until the 1910s. While the study of fashion plates as an art form in itself has become popular today, this was not what they were intended to be. Rather, it was a blueprint for individuals to be able to replicate a given design.

However, at the same time, fashion plates did present ideal views of their subject garments with their unnatural poses and the models were perfect physical representations. But never the less, fashion plates were first and foremost meant to be a practical means of transmitting fashion information. Ultimately, the fashion plate was a practical tool and used as such.

More specifically, the fashion plate was deliberately constructed to impart information to the viewer and specifically to enable the viewer to be able to make a garment based on the plate- in short, “how to do it” blueprints and as such they were often used as supplements to accompanying sewing patterns and were typically printed in magazines. Magazines such as The Delineator, Godey’s Lady’s Book, Harper’s Bazar, and Peterson’s Magazine were only a few of the many magazines that were available to the home sewer and professional dressmaker.

Fashion Plate from Peterson’s Magazine, June 1872.

Above is a fairly typical fashion plate- it looks like a simple illustration of a group of dresses. Well, yes and no- the poses are somewhat stilted with the emphasis on showing as much of the dress as possible. Notice how the decorative treatments are given the best angle possible and especially on the train. This was deliberately done in order for the viewer to see the entire design in order to replicate it.

But it was not only fashion plates. Patterns and more detailed information were also supplied:

Evening Polonaise Pattern from Peterson’s Magazine, May 1872.

Fashion plates simply illustrated what was possible and were meant as a source of inspiration, not necessary something to be followed line-for-line. But more importantly, fashion plates showed the progression of styles through the late 19th Century and just by glancing at them, one can readily see differences and especially in the silhouette as it evolved from the 1870s through the 1890s. Here are some some examples from the 1870s and 1880s:

Godey’s Lady’s Book, November 1872

The Englishwomen’s Domestic Magazine, June 1876

The Englishwomen’s Domestic Magazine, July 1877

La Mode Illustree, 1878

Fashion Plate, 1881 from the Revue de La Mode.

Revue de La Mode, 1881.

Revue de La Mode, 1885

C. 1886

Peterson’s Magazine, April 1889

As we move into the 1890s, still more shifts in the what was considered to be the ideal silhouette can be seen:

Journal Des Demoiselles, January 1892

Journal Des Demoiselles, August 1893

Journal Des Demoiselles, August 1894

The Delineator, December 1898

The Delineator, December 1898

What is interesting about this progression of plates is that by the 1890s, it’s all about the front of the dress. While there are frontal views in earlier plates and rear views in later plates, it is still obvious that the emphasis had shifted which is consistent with the movement away from the bustle. The 1880s provide some interesting ground in that the views seem to almost split 50-50, at least based on a very unscientific examination of fashion plates from various sources, both online and in books.

The above is only a small sample of the fashion illustration that was characteristic of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries but it does show that even then, the dissemination of fashion information was being done on a large-scale industrial basis, pushed along by technical advances in the printing trades. Moreover, with the rise of mass-circulation fashion magazines such as Godey’s, Petersons, and Harper’s Bazar, fashion’s reach extended to almost the entire world and most notably in America. The “pretty” and “fantastical” fashion plate served a very specific and practical role that today is easily overlooked. In the end, fashion plates were an art form in terms of their ability to impart information rather than existing as representations of fashion.

Dating a Dress – You Be The Judge

June 9, 2015September 12, 2021 / Adam Lid / 4 Comments

One of the key elements of working with historical costume is the ability to properly date items, or at least fix an approximate time frame. Although we tend to accept how museums date their collections, sometimes there are items that just do not seem right for the period that is being attributed to the item.

Recently, I came across the following dress on the Metropolitan Museum of Art website:

Visiting Dress, French, 1867; Metropolitan Museum of Art (1979.93a, b)

Rear View

Side Profile View

Maker’s Label; Gathering more information about the maker would go a long way towards precisely dating the dress.

According to the description on the Met website, the dress dates from 1867. However, in looking at the silhouette of the dress, it just reads Early Bustle Era, sometime between 1870 and 1874 or thereabouts.

Specifically, in looking at the skirt, it is evident that it was expressly designed to flow towards the rear, thus creating a defined train. But this train is not some haphazard arrangement of fabric but rather it is constructed of several separate panels joined together separated by rows of ruffles. The overall effect is that skirt naturally flows and the eye is drawn from front to rear. It is clear that the skirt and train were deliberately constructed to give this flowing effect. Finally, the rows of ruffled trim also help to accentuate the effect and the striped fabric also plays a role in this.

Now before going any further, we need to consider that there could be a number of different reasons why the date of the dress may be incorrect. It is always possible that perhaps it was not displayed correctly or that it’s missing key components underneath. Perhaps it was reconstructed and as a result the silhouette has changed. Like people, museums can make mistakes. With that said, let’s proceed.

So what do some later 1860s dresses look like?

Day Dress, c. 1860 – 1870; Kent State University Museum (1983.001.0129 a-c)

Side Profile View

Rear View

According to the Kent State University Museum website, the date is attributed to the entire decade of the 1860s (perhaps they are hedging their bets). However, knowing that the crinoline silhouette was characteristic of dresses of the early 1860s, it is fairly safe to say that this one is from the mid to late 1860s.

That said, let’s look at the skirt in some detail. first, like the first dress, it also flows in a rearward manner and the hem is also elliptical rather than circular (which also helps place this in the med to late 1860s). The thin stripes and the trim help to give a flowing effect but it is nowhere as refined as that in the first example.

Let’s look at another example:

Day Dress, c. 1865 – 1870 (Although it is noted that the original catalog card notes the year 1865); Kent State University Museum (1983.001.0107 ab)

Side Profile View

Rear View

Once again, we have an elliptical skirt that is drawn towards the rear in a somewhat minimalist train. The effect here is a bit more confused than the previous example but in both cases, we have dresses that can be that can be placed in the mid to late 1860s and one can see the beginning of the evolution towards the elaborately trains characteristic of the later Bustle Era.

Just to round things out, below are some fashion plates representative of the period:

Godey’s Lady’s Book, January 1866

For 1866, one sees very little difference between these and dresses from the early 1860s.

The World of Fashion, 1867

Godey’s Lady’s Book, September 1867

Peterson’s, July 1868

For the above two plates, one can see the beginnings of the train as the skirt starts to shift towards the rear…

Victoria, April 1869

For 1869, we finally are able to see a more completely defined train but it’s still fairly rudimentary compared to what was to come later.

And finally, we reach the 1870s:

Godey’s Lady’s Book , March 1870

Godey’s Lady’s Book, May 1870

Here we see a more complete transition. In the above plate, the dress third from the right is especially striking in the use of a striped front panel to create a flat, vertical look to the front of the dress while at the same there’s a well-defined train in the rear.

Godey’s Lady’s Book, November 1872

In the above illustrations, we have traced the transition from the crinoline to the bustle, or at least a good part of the process. One can seen not just a transition to an elliptical hemline and the development of the train, but a more sophisticated version of this style. This is not a process of gathering up some fabric and creating a crude trailing effect but rather, it’s precisely engineered to achieve a specific effect, an effect more characteristic of the early 1870s.

Naturally, much of the evaluation process is subjective and open to varied interpretation and that is all right. In the absence of hard data such as information about the dressmaker, we can only speculate but we definitely can narrow down the date. Thanks for bearing with us through this somewhat academic exercise and we welcome your comments. Let us know what you think. 🙂

The Bustle Dress – A Brief Overview, Part 3

April 27, 2015February 13, 2019 / Adam Lid / Leave a comment

We now turn to the Late Bustle Period from 1882 through 1890. Unlike the brief period before it, the bustle returned with a vengeance, now more angular and sharply defined, with harder edges than its predecessor in the 1870s. Below are some examples of the later bustle:

Bustle, Cotton, Metal, Copper, c.1883 – 1887; FIDM Museum Library (2005.5.174)

Bustle, Steel Frame, c. 1884; Victoria & Albert Museum (T.131C-1919).

Bustle, British, Steel Frame, c. 1884; Victoria & Albert Museum (T.131C-1919).

Bustle Pad, French, . 1885Glazed calico trimmed with silk cord and stuffed with what appears to be straw; Victoria & Albert Museum (T.337-1978)

Bustle Pad, French, c. 1885; Glazed calico trimmed with silk cord and stuffed with what appears to be straw; Victoria & Albert Museum (T.337-1978)

From just the few examples above, it’s evident that that bustles during this period came in a variety of materials and shapes. However, in contrast with earlier bustles, these are shorter, concentrated around the natural waist.

Below is a an excellent example of the “shelf bustle” profile characteristic of the mid- 1880s. The “shelf bustle” profile was found in both day dresses and more formal evening and reception dresses. As could be expected, the formal dresses tended to be more dramatic and extreme in profile and the length of the train.

Evening Dress, American or European, c. 1884 – 1886, silk; The Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.63.23.3a, b)

The above evening dress epitomizes the sculpted “shelf bustle” that is characteristic of the 1880s. However, elements of the 1870s still remain: the bodice is remains at waist level and draped skirts are utilized to create a dramatic effect with the skirts being arranged to show off the pleating and trim to its fullest advantage. The is certainly the diametric opposite of the sleek, vertical lines characteristic of the Mid-Bustle Era.

Dinner Dress, French, c. 1883, Worth. Wine-red silk satin cut velvet with stripes and leaf pattern; figured additional cut velvet layer on leaf pattern; set of bodice and skirt with bustle; tulle and silk satin bows at cuffs; apron-shaped overskirt draped toward back. This dress of silk satin and cut velvet stripes is scattered with a roseleaf motif of cut and uncut velvet, causing shading of the motif. These beautiful materials, with a woven thickness created using complex techniques, show the high quality of Lyon silk textile. The overskirt, draped and gathered into an apron style, and the train greatly contribute to the dignified production of this bustle style dress. Kyoto Costume Institute (AC9712 98-29-2AB)

Day Dress, c. 1880 – Front View

Day Dress, c. 1880 – Side View

Day Dress c. 1880 – Rear View

Although the above two examples are day and evening dresses, they both have similar characteristics in that they exhibit the shelf bustle AND the draping of excess skirts characteristic of the early 1870s. One could almost terms this a hybrid style.

However, at the same time, the cuirass bodice characteristic of the Mid Bustle Era made its return, characterized by the bodice now lengthening to cover the hips. With the cuirass bodice, one can also see a reduction in the bustle size and a softening of the bustle angle in which the “shelf” beings to become more curved. Also at the same time, the excess skirts are reduced and there is no draping except for the area below the bustle. The dress below illustrates these trends excellently:

Day Dress, French, c. 1885; Silk plain weave (taffeta) and silk plain weave with warp-float patterning and supplementary weft, and silk knotted tassel; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.2007.211.34a-b)

Day Dress, French, c. 1885 – Rear View

Day Dress, French, c. 1885 – Front View

While there was an overlapping in styles during the Late Bustle Era of the mid to late 1880s, it is evident that the overall style was moving towards a more upright style with the bustle evolving into a vestigial pad.

The Young Ladies’ Journal, 1889

As it can be seen from the above fashion plate, the bustle was pretty much gone and both the dresses and bodices were more tailored and hints at what was to come later during the 1890s.

The Bustle Era never fails to fascinate the modern viewer in that the concept of using elaborate undergarments (eg, the corset) and bustles to achieve a desired aesthetic look runs so counter to fashion aesthetics today. However, the basic idea still lingers one in the form of various form-shaping foundations garments and in some cases even the bustle has been revived in a modified form.

Finally, I leave you with this image:

Modern Day Wedding Gown

Nothing is really new in the fashion world…. 🙂

Lily Absinthe

Gowns & Corsetry

1870s

Beauty Advice 1870s Style…

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Styling For The 1870s

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Fashion Plates…

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Dating a Dress – You Be The Judge

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The Bustle Dress – A Brief Overview, Part 3

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