What else would you expect us to wear with our reproduction Victorian “Safety Bicycles”? 🙂 Check out those huge wheels, they’re harder to use than they look. Oh, and lest we forget, we even wound up riding for three miles through a hail storm. Definitely “Old School”.
What’s better than an Art Deco Singer 201? Two! Meet her sister, the 201K… <3 This is the English version, made in Great Britain sometime in June 1939, just on the eve of the Second World War. It still has its motor (although it’s wired for a UK electric system) and it also can work in manual mode with a treadle. It came with the original owner’s manual and some advertising literature plus there was a large number of assorted buttons stashed away in the various drawers in the cabinet. Overall, it’s in great shape and it shouldn’t take much to get it back into operation (it can be converted for an American electrical connection). This is a great find  and it will be definitely have a place in the atelier. 🙂
For Valentine’s Day, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go visit some of our usual haunts in Tombstone. One of first stops was the OK Corral:
Now, while this is designated as being the OK Corral, in reality the corral was located to some distance to the right and in front of where I am standing. Also, in 1881 the wall to my left didn’t exist. However, I am standing on roughly where the famous gun fight did occur; the gunfight occurred in the area between the Camillus Sydney Fly boarding house (the reconstructed blue structure on the right of the picture) and the residence of William Harwood which was located off to the left of the picture (it no longer stands).
Although the Sanborn map below was made in 1886 after the entire area had burnt down in a fire on May 25, 1882 (many of the burnt down buildings were rebuilt in the same locations), it does give a pretty good idea of the gunfight’s location:
OK, this is probably more detail that you might have wanted… 🙂
We then proceeded to take some pictures at one of our most favorite spots, the reconstructed CS Fly photo studio:
A linen suit is definitely the order of the day and the perfect choice given the sunny weather in town. Of course, one never knows if it will rain so one must be prepared so I had my trusty umbrella with me. Me and Johnny Behan would have made quite a pair! 🙂
And now for Karin…
The basic color scheme here is blue silk taffeta and silk chiffon in shades of taupe and ivory, with figured antique lace pieces, perfect for springtime.
We then proceeded to take a walk up Allen Street. It was gratifying to see a large number of visitors in town and while things were not as crowded as on a major event weekend such as Helldorado, there was still a lot of people. Always a good thing! 🙂
Afterwards, we returned home where Mac joined us for some portraits:
It’s always amusing having Mac pose for pictures- he gets all squint-eyed and tries to stare everyone down. If he could be a gunslinger, he would! 🙂  Overall it was a nice day for us and provided a good way to decompress from a busy schedule.
When it comes to recreating the fashions of a past era, it’s all too easy to fixate on a particular style element and make assumptions that are not necessarily supported by the evidence. One such style element is are pockets that were found on some dresses in the 1875 – 1876 time frame. These pockets have been the subject of some debate over the years and it has been theorized that they were meant to hold a fan, gloves, a handkerchief, or more improbably, a small parasol.
Did people back in the 1870s actually do this or is this simply the artful design of a museum technician? When taken out of context, one can easily draw the wrong conclusion.
A good friend of ours who blogs on the Broke Costumer has written a blog post discussing the issue of pockets on dresses and it provides a good overview of the subject. Citing various period sources, the author builds a compelling case that ultimately concludes while there was some functional use for handkerchiefs or gloves, ultimately these pockets were meant as a decorative element and as such was a fad.
I strongly urge people to be critical and do their own research. Just as importantly, I urge people to consider how a style element was used: was it meant to be functional? Decorative or somewhere in between? Moreover, was that element in common, everyday use? Unless one is deliberately attempting to portray the exception, it’s best to keep to what was common. Finally, in doing one’s research, one much survey a variety of sources to build a general picture. Simply relying on one or two photographs or illustrations to establish a general idea on how prevalent a style element was or, just as important, how it was used.
One classic, if not extreme, example of this can be found with this Civil War picture of Captain Samuel J. Richardson, commander of Co. F, 2nd Texas Cavalry:
Captain Samuel J. Richardson, 1830 – 1885
Yes, those are Jaguar skin trousers! 🙂 If one did not know anything further, one would conclude that this was a common uniform item for Confederate officers. However, even with a little cursory research, one will quickly see that this was not the case. Now this may be an extreme example but it does illustrate the potential pitfall if one fails to do their research and simply rely on one picture for one’s research. While it may not be necessary to re-invent the wheel in doing one’s research, it pays to be familiar with primary sources along with relevant commentary by knowledgeable authorities.
Finally, it must be noted that reenactorisms often get their start through flawed research, especially when that research validates one’s preexisting ideas, especially when it creates a “look” that agrees with our modern-day sensibilities. It’s an easy trap to fall into and yes, even I have been guilty of this.
While naturally one is free to recreate whatever fashions they want, be aware that they may not necessarily be historically accurate (and be prepared to be possibly called out on it). However, if one is attempting to work with the styles of a particular period to create something that is true to that period, it is incumbent upon them to perform their due diligence and know what is accurate and what is not.
Fashion often draws upon the past for inspiration and this was especially true during the late 19th Century. Like Doucet, and others, Emile Pingat often drew inspiration from 18th Century designs, using them as a backdrop for his own unique style in which he blended elaborate decoration with exquisite fabrics:
Promenade Dress, Emile Pingat, c. 1885; Shelburne Museum (2010-75)
Close-Up Of Front
Three-Quarter Rear View
The bodice is a polonaise with vest that provides a feminine version of an 18th Century men’s coat and waistcoat. The cutaway style of the polonaise provides for displaying the vest’s gold bullion embroidery to its best advantage and it complements the elaborate embroidery running down both revers of the polonaise. The jewel toned claret colored velvet of the polonaise and skirt provide a deep background for the ivory white vest and combined with the gold embroidery, the look is sumptuous yet not overdone.  Further embroidery is used on the side pocket flaps and the back of the polonaise with restraint and claret is allowed to show through clearly.
Pingat employs the velvet polonaise/skirt/vest combination again in this creation that was made a little later circa 1888, only this time in green tones:
Pingat, Promenade Dress, 1888; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.7758a, b)
Rear View
Right Side Profile
Here we see a polonaise and skirt constructed from a deep bottle-green velvet combined with a vest of a lighter shade of green. The embroidery appears to be a combination of gold bullion and another shade of light green that complements the polonaise, vest, and skirt. As with the first example, the embroidery is used with restraint, mostly trimming the front revers, rear, and side pockets of the polonaise. Colorwise, the first dress provides more of a contrast while the second dress works more in a single color pallette. Â For both of the above dresses, large expanses are unadorned with just the velvet showing. Overall, the effect is elegant and sumptuous but restrained.
The above is just a small sampling but it demonstrates Pingat’s mastery of design in that his combinations of fabric and decorate treatments are carefully contrived for maximum effect- nowhere does it feel like he simply piled on fabric and trim as often was the case with Worth. Finally, while many believe that today’s fashions are completely divorced from the past in terms of inspiration, such as not the case as with this design from Dior:
As it is often said, nothing is really new in fashion. 🙂