Á la Mode, 1795 to 1920 Fashion Plates from the Boston Public Library

Image @Boston Public Library. I photo
shopped the image to appear whiter. From
Ackermann's Repository, 1818.

The Boston Public Library’s collection includes rare fashion plates that represent 125 years of high fashion. An online exhibition begins in 1795 with dresses inspired by classical Greece and Rome. It ends in 1920 with fashions based on modern art principles of cubism and abstraction.

"Fashion plates of idealized women wearing aristocratic styles began appearing in France and England in the mid-18th century. Soon afterward, enterprising artists and engravers found success in publishing fashion plates in a new subscription format called the fashion journal. The upheavals of the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars made London an independent  center of fashion, with its own distinct style until 1820." - Click here to read more

About the dress:

"1818: Transition. Women’s dress began departing from the classical ideal towards a "Romantic" mode. The waistline was still high, although sleeves puffed out a bit. Skirts became less tubular and more wedge-shaped, with a flare at the hem. The hemline was emphasized with lavish trimmings: flowers, ribbons, frills, and other decorations. Vertical curls characterized the hairstyle".

Regency Era Fashions - 1815

Image from @EKDuncan

EK Duncan shows quite a few fashions from the first set. Click on the site to see the rest of the images.

The fashions of Ackermann's Repository, 1815 are featured on EKDuncan's site.

During the twenty year run of this monthly publication, Ackermann's
made specially bound volumes available for those who were collecting the issues.
These "bound" book versions consisted of a 2 volume set for each year it was published.
There were a total of 3 series in that 20 year period. 

Series 1 began in Jan 1809 (volume 1) and ended with the Dec issue (volume 14) in 1815.
Series 2 began in Jan 1816 and ended with the Dec issue in 1822.
Series 3 began in Jan 1823 and ended with the final issue in Dec 1828

Regency Fashion Study

Random Sandy kills time "during lunch at work. I've always love the older fashions, and find it interesting how hard it was for women to get dressed up!! Quill pens, India Inks in my Moleskine."

Here's a detail of her drawing. Click here to see the entire image.

Detail of a drawing by Random Sandy

Regency Fashion: Polychrome Embroidered Men's Waistcoats

1760, embroidered cloth of silver waistcoat. Image @Christie's

Polychrome silk embroidery, which used a variety of colors, was popular for men's waistcoats in the 18th and 19th century. These exquisite and expensive garments, worn under coats, had become a fashion statement and a way of displaying one's wealth and individuality.

1780 embroidered silk waistcoat

1800-1815 French silk vest. Image @Metropolitan Museum of Art

Polychrome silk thread embroidery "became fashionable in the reign of Elizabeth, and from c. 1590 to 1620 a uniquely English fashion arose for embroidered linen jackets worn informally or as part of masquing costume. These jackets usually featured scrolling floral patterns worked in a multiplicity of stitches. Similar patterns worked in 2-ply worsted wool called crewel on heavy linen for furnishings are characteristic of Jacobean embroidery. - Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Muslin Gown: Regency Fashion

Kent State University Museum: 19th Century Gallery features this breathtaking 1800's white muslin gown (in four views). I want one.

1800 Round gown, muslin. Image @Kent State University Museum

The sheerness of 19th century muslin is demonstrated in this photograph by Madame Guillotine, whose blog offered two posts with images of the most luscious gowns from the Fashion Museum in Bath.

Muslin dress. Image @Madame Guillotine

Definition of Muslin:
Muslin: 1. plain woven, bleached or gray, soft finished cotton fabric, in a great variety; ranging from the finest Dacca muslin, to coarse fabrics used for dresses, aprons, sheets, shirts ,the latter often having warp stripes; 2. a very light, loose plain woven cotton fabric ,considerably stiffened in the finish, used for foundations in dresses.

The white muslin cloth was made in India in Dhaka (now Bangladesh), and grown from a variety of cotton plant made in the region. Muslin of such sheerness and fine quality is hard to find today.

Regency Fashion: Dumpy Lady

Cabrio4 from eBay always sells the nicest Regency fashion plates. Her description of this lady and her companion made me laugh.

"Here we have two delightfully dumpy ladies in Morning Dresses from February."

This image is only a detail of the Ladies Monthly Museum plate featured. Click here to see the entire illustration.

Regency Fashion Plate

Cabrio4 sells Regency fashion plates on EBay. This seller features plates we have seen online before (usually the Ackermann fashion plates), but also rare images that rarely see the light of day. Take this 1799 image of three fashionable ladies, for example.

1799 London walking dresses, from Fashions of London and Paris

Here is the description:

A very scarce plate from Richard Phillips' 'Fashions of London and Paris' featuring London Walking Dress from June 1799.

This was a very rare publication, which ran from 1798 to around 1810 and during that time published a series of very distinctive fashion plates, many of which were drawn by Adam Buck. Others were lifted straight from 'Journals des Dames et des Modes' (the Parisan side of the plates).

Click here to see the images or to bid for the plate.

Regency Fashion, A Video

This video is ten minutes long, but worth watching. Enjoy the sight of uncommonly beautiful clothes and the sound of music: from the Soundtracks of "Coco Avant Chanel" by Alexandre Desplat., "Clair De Lune" by Debussy, "Avril 14th" by Aphex Twin, "Opus 36" by Dustin O' Halloran.

Lace Parasols to Complete Your Regency Dress

The Lace Parasol Place sells BattenburgLace and other lace parasols that we have seen Regency reenactors carry to complete their beautiful regency era costumes, as in the image below of a young lady who participated in the Jane Austen Festival in Bath. The parasols are remarkably affordable!

Do You Understand Muslins Sir? No! Henry Tilney Does

An interest in fashion during Jane Austen’s time was de rigueur, though not everyone was as passionate in keeping abreast of the latest styles as our famous author. Her fondness for finery is confirmed in her letters to her sister Cassandra as she chats about her shopping expeditions to linen-drapers, silk-mercer’s and milliners in London and Bath, and about her progress in creating her own clothing.

“I have determined to trim my lilac sarsenet with black ribbon just as my China Crape is …Ribbon trimmings are all the fashion at Bath, & I dare say the fashions of the two places are alike enough in that point, to content me. – With this addition it will be a very useful gown, happy to go anywhere.” 5 March 1814

Sarsenet, or sarcenet was a fine silk cloth used in dressmaking and curtains. Not only did Jane Austen have an eye for fine fabric, the color combination of lilac and black would have been quite stunning. She also infuses her interest in fabrics and fashion into her novels. In Northanger Abbey, clothing and shopping is discussed frequently by the characters. They do talk of sarcenet, but muslin, which is a finely woven cotton fabric popular from the end of the 18th-century to the early 19th-century, plays an important part in the heroine Catherine Morland's romance when she meets our hero Henry Tilney for the first time in the Lower Rooms in Bath. Here, her chaperone Mrs. Allen is surprised that any man would be interested in fabric and vigorously discusses muslins with Henry.

“Do you understand muslins, sir?”

“Particularly well; I always buy my own cravats, and am allowed to be an excellent judge; and my sister has often trusted me in the choice of a gown. I bought one for her the other day, and it was pronounced to be a prodigious bargain by every lady who saw it. I gave but five shillings a yard for it, and a true Indian muslin.”

Mrs. Allen was quite struck by his genius. “Men commonly take so little notice of those things,” said she; “I can never get Mr. Allen to know one of my gowns from another. You must be a great comfort to your sister, sir.” Northanger Abbey, Chapter 3

As Catherine and the reader soon discover, Henry Tilney is no mere man. He is an extraordinary genius!

• Visit the Regency fashions archive at Jane Austen's World
• Regency Fashion History 1800-1825 - Fashion Era
• Timeline and history of muslin fabric
• Read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen online at Molland's Circulating Library

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Seen on the Blogosphere: Vintage Fabrics

An article from the Smithsonian Institute discusses how the serious fabric and clothes collector ought to store antique fabrics at home. Click here to read it.

French Treasures.com offers truly exquisite and breathtaking fabrics that conjure up another century. Click here to view samples like this 18th century brocade on the right.

This New York Times article describes vintage fabrics for sale in antique shoppes near Sloane Square, London.

Borderline Fabrics sells beautiful fabrics inspired by archived clothing.

And here is a one-stop shop for fabric buying: Mary's Fabric Sources. Simply fabulous.

To round out your fabric tour, read my post on Jane Austen's World: Fabrics and Fashion
and this fascinating article about Hand Loom Weaving in the 19th Century.

Seen on the Blogosphere: Dressing History

Dressing History provides accurate historical fashion reproductions, engaging historical interpretation, original garments for sale and a series of talks, including one on Dressing Jane Austen. With an emphasis on historical accuracy, this site provides a reliable resource for dress historians, re-enactors, museums and the heritage industry. The importance of dress is a tool that helps people to understand the past, both when addressing the social history of and era, and in understanding individuals, like Jane Austen.
This fabulous new site offers two one hour talks, which incorporates reproductions and original items. Based around Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen, the talks draw on various sources, including letters and the authors' novels, as well as surviving garments, to accurately present what the clothes worn by these remarkable women could have looked like.

Dressing History also uses exclusively natural fibres, and tries, where possible, to use authentically woven fabrics. Many of the pieces you will see on the site are based on original garments, portraits, or fashion plates. Most importantly, a research portfolio is available for each garment.

For the lucky individuals who live in the UK, the Dressing History historical interpretation service offers a wide range of characters, both in third and first person, and covers the 16th to 19th centuries. Many of the characters portrayed are real historical people, and are presented, after thorough research, of what that person was truly like. The site is also able to offer a selection of original items, both for sale and for study. These items vary from shoes and parasols to complete dresses and vary in age from c.1800 to the 1970s. Please see the site for details.

Feedback and comments are very much appreciated, and will be returned. The latest version of flash is needed to view the site, but a link to a basic html only version is also available. Go to http://www.dressing-history.co.uk to view the site. While it is already very comprehensive, it will be enlarged and improved as time goes on!

The open robe at right, a reproduction of a gown circa 1797, is created using tiny pleats, which are all handsewn.


Posted by Vic, Ms. Place

Fashionable Websites Jane Austen Would Have Liked to Visit

It is nearly May when the sun becomes strong enough for young ladies to think about protecting their delicate skin from harmful rays. Visit Ruby Lane, and browse for beautiful antique items, such as this 19th century black Chantilly lace parasol with pink lining. In the image above from David Brass Rare Books, one can see two ladies strolling ahead of the group, one with a parasol and one with a shawl, two wise choices for a promenade in Kensington Gardens.

In the matter of choosing a shawl, an issue of The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine in 1851 declared: "We scarcely know a truer test of a gentlewoman’s taste than her selection of a shawl, and her manner of wearing it." - Vintage Textile

The weather is still brisk and thin muslins and silks are no protection against cool spring breezes. Beautiful shawls are the answer for a young Regency miss who wants to stay warm and remain fashionable at the same time. Vintage Textile offers several exquisite choices. Click on the link above to see a breathtaking example of a lace shawl. If that is too fancy for you, click on this link at Vintage Textiles to view a shawl one could wear in more ordinary places.

Speaking of breathtaking, this new paisley acquisition at the Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois would be worth a special visit to the museum. As described below, paisley shawls became all de rigeur during the Regency, but the imports from India were quite expensive:

By 1777 imitation Indian shawls were being made in Edinburgh. They were first popular in England in the 1780's, and did not gain popularity in France until the 1790's. At that time Indian shawls sold for as much as $:300, a stupendous sum in those days. It was the French Empire fashion at the beginning of the 19th century, with its high-waisted, willowy silhouette, the perfect foil for the long, soft shawl, decorated around the edges but plain in the center, that made the shawl fashionable. - New York Times, 1989

Just remember, before stepping out the door, a young lady's accessories of shawl and parasol would not be complete without the requisite gloves, hat, and reticule to accompany them. If the roads were muddy from the ever present spring rains, one might consider wearing pattens to protect delicate footwear.

Want your own affordable Regency style shawl? Check out these beautiful examples:

• Antique Kashmir Shawls from $1,250 - $3,600 at Textiles

• Pashmina Jama Shawls, Paisley, $125 USD, Click Here

Image at top: Promenade in Kensington Gardens, 1804, David Brass Rare Books, featured in Jane Austen's World: The Fashions of London and Paris, 1798-1810. View more fabulous vintage books of the era at this beautiful site, which is worth a visit, especially for bibliophiles.

Posted by Ms. Place

Seen on The Blogosphere

Dressing Jane is a fabulous free quarterly e-newsletter containing news and articles about fashion in the Jane Austen era from 1775-1817. Click here to see the first issue. The next one is slated to come out in summer.


A Georgian Garden Reborn discusses the function of the private Georgian garden. The one described in this article is located in Bath


The reviews for Miss Austen Regrets keep coming in from across The Pond. One article says this is a drama that depicts a different Jane Austen; and the review from BBC thought it a delicious feast for the senses. This article from the Times Online discusses Jane's acceptance then rejection of Mr. Harris Bigg-Wither's proposal.

Musings from a Muddy Island posted a sensitive, well thought out review that offers a mild and reasoned rebuke to bloggers like myself. The author thinks that by and large we Americans view Jane from an unrealistic and romantic perspective. She cautions us to read more English history and Jane biography. As a gentle reminder, some of us do. Please check Jane Austen's World, my other blog. Also, not all of us are enamored with movies like Becoming Jane, nor do we crave a happy ending.

While I thought this production was excellent and intelligently written, and Olivia's acting was sensitive and finely drawn, I still firmly believe that a woman at the height of her creativity, one whose earnings were supplementing her fixed income to the extent that Jane's were beginning to do, would not have dwelled so much and so morosely on the past. I would have preferred to see more balance, with scenes showing Jane actively writing and thinking about her novels and plots, interspersed with those moments of regret (which, yes, are realistic). This woman, who wrote such astonishing work until two months before her death, had a powerful creative urge that would not stop, yet one is barely provided a glimpse in this production of Jane's urgent and insistent will to write.

Posted by Ms. Place

Fashion Show From 1795 and on ...

This 8-minute fashion show depicts ladies fashions from 1795 to 1948. Enjoy! My most favorite period? The Regency, of course. My least favorite fashion trend is the wasp waist that was so prevalent from 1870 and on. Uggh.

Fabulous Fashion Plate Book

View rare fashion plates.
Click here to read the post and enter the David Brass Rare Books site.
You'll find four beautiful hand painted regency era fashion plates.


Enter the David Brass Rare Books website directly here

Shawls

During an era when thin cotton dresses, short sleeves, and low necklines were prevalent, the shawl became an important and ubiquitous necessity, especially in cool, draughty houses. Jane Austen mentions them throughout her novels and letters as a matter of course. Here are a few of Jane's quotes and a sampling of shawls.

Neoclassical hand embroidered white work shawl, 1810-1820

They were entering the hall. Mr. Knightley's eyes had preceded Miss Bates's in a glance at Jane. From Frank Churchill's face, where he thought he saw confusion suppressed or laughed away, he had involuntarily turned to hers; but she was indeed behind, and too busy with her shawl.

Jane Austen, Emma

Mr. Knightley thought he saw another collection of letters anxiously pushed towards her, and resolutely swept away by her unexamined. She was afterwards looking for her shawl--Frank Churchill was looking also--it was growing dusk, and the room was in confusion; and how they parted, Mr. Knightley could not tell.

Jane Austen, Emma

In Paragon we met Mrs Foley & Mrs Dowdeswell with her yellow shawl airing out—& at the bottom of Kinsdown Hill we met a Gentleman in a Buggy, who on minute examination turned out to be Dr Hall—& Dr Hall in such very deep mourning that either his Mother, his Wife, or himself must be dead.

Jane Austen, Letter (1799-05-17)

Spitalfields Shawl in the long, rectangular shape so popular during the Regency Period.

Links to shawls of the era

• Shawls, Prints George

• Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion: Outerwear

• The Shawl/Fichu, The Jane Austen Centre

• Indian Paisley Shawl

• Fashion History of 1800's

Fabrics in the Regency Era

I recall seeing Princess Charlotte's wedding dress years ago at the Museum of London. I couldn't take my eyes off this exquisite creation made of white silk net and silver embroidery. The details were breathtaking, and I could only imagine the number of hours that seamstresses spent toiling over this wondrous dress. The dress fabric was an exception, made for royalty. (Find more details about the dress and wedding here.)

Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra could choose from any number of bolts of fabrics from their milliners and mantua makers. Some of the more expensive cloths were dyed and handpainted, such as the silk fabric above. It was hand painted in the 1700s, made into a dress, then unpicked and remade into a dress in the 1820's. The custom of reusing fabrics was not uncommon. This child's dress was remade from an adult gown. The pattern is obviously too big for the tiny dress to begin with.

This white muslin fabric with embroidered spangles would have shimmered wonderfully at a ball in candlelight. One can imagine the sparkles glittering as the wearer moved about the room.

We know that white muslins were popular during this era, and that silks were used for evening gowns. But what other fabrics were popular during Jane Austen' time? To learn more about Regency fabrics, find a detailed study and samples on Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion.

Seaside Fashion in Jane Austen's Day

In the image of the seaside above by James Gillray (A Calm, 1810) one can see the high hem of a typical seaside dress of the day, and the bathing machines lined along the water. Bathing in the sea, especially during the cold season, became fashionable in seeking a cure for many illnesses. The following is a short passage from The Bathing was so delightful this morning: The bathing experiences of Jane Austen and others from The Jane Austen Society of Australia:

Within the Austen family there was a preference for using spas for ill health and visiting the seaside for pleasure. Edward Austen visited and James Leigh-Perrott lived in Bath for treatment of their gout. Jane and Cassandra Austen visited Cheltenham in 1816 to try to cure Jane's declining health. Their visits to the seaside were planned as recreational visits only, with no specific medical purpose attached to them. It was only the prospect of annual visits to the seaside that made the move to Bath tolerable to Jane.

In fact, during the Regency Era few men and women wore bathing costumes. They often swam nude, and entered the sea in separate beaches sheltered by rented bathing machines drawn by horses (much like those in the photograph above, taken in 1885-1890). Bathers changed in and out of their clothes in these portable dressing rooms. An 18th century description of a bathing machine from The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker gives one a good idea of what being in one was like:

Imagine to yourself a small, snug, wooden chamber, fixed upon a wheel-carriage, having a door at each end, and on each side a little window above, a bench below - The bather, ascending into this apartment by wooden steps, shuts himself in, and begins to undress, while the attendant yokes a horse to the end next the sea, and draws the carriage forwards, till the surface of the water is on a level with the floor of the dressing-room, then he moves and fixes the horse to the other end - The person within being stripped, opens the door to the sea-ward, where he finds the guide ready, and plunges headlong into the water - After having bathed, he re-ascends into the apartment, by the steps which had been shifted for that purpose, and puts on his clothes at his leisure, while the carriage is drawn back again upon the dry land; so that he has nothing further to do, but to open the door, and come down as he went up - Should he be so weak or ill as to require a servant to put off and on his clothes, there is room enough in the apartment for half a dozen people.

In 1901 it became legal for women and men to bathe on the same seashore (one presumes they are clothed) and bathing machines became less popular.

Learn more about bathing and seaside resorts during this era on the following site:

• Our Forgotten Regency Resort

• The History of Swimwear: The Worthing Museum and Art

• Impropriety By the Seaside, Parts I & II: Old Grey Pony

• Lyme Regis Looks Nice, George

• Seabathing Georgian Style: Jane Austen Centre

The Truth Revealed: What Do Regency Ladies Really Wear Under Those Thin Yet Elegant Empire Dresses?

I found many fascinating facts in the Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World. One that most particularly piqued my interest was that ladies generally did not wear drawers in Jane Austen's day. I wondered about that statement. Then I viewed the following hand colored etching attributed to Thomas Rowlandson.

This caricature depicts the staircase leading to the Great Room at Somerset House in Pall Mall, which was where the members of the Royal Academy exhibited their paintings. The stairway to the Great Room was steep and long, and undoubtedly tough to negotiate during crowded days.

Rowlandson's caricature speaks to the popular perception that there were two kinds of viewers who came to Somerset House: Those who wanted to see the paintings and sculptures, and those who came to ogle the ladies whose legs and ankles were exposed walking up those prominent stairs.

In Rowlandson's cartoon, the ladies tumble down in a domino effect, revealing much, much more than a neat turn of ankle. I adore the details in this scene: The rakes ready to take their visual fill of the unfortunate situation, while elegant ladies tumble haplessly, limbs akimbo and tender parts exposed. Interestingly, the ladies are wearing stockings but not much more beneath those gauzy muslins. Rowlandson proves Margaret C. Sullivan right and I am happy for it.

(Thomas Rowlandson, The Exhibition Stare Case (c. 1811, hand-colored etching; etching may be by Rowlandson, although the coloring is not).

The Romantic Cosmopolitanism: The 12th Annual NASSR Conference: "Eyes on the Metropole: Seeing London and Beyond", By Sharon M. Twigg and Theresa M. Kelley