This weekend’s hoods each got trimmed with some black velvet. Several period magazines suggest velvet trim for quilted hoods and bonnets in their fashion columns. This velvet seems to add a nice warming touch.
Agricultural Society Fair Entries
I still have all the ribbons I won at the Genesee Country Village and Museum’s Agricultural Society Fair. Believe it or not I actually won a blue ribbon for my handwriting. Go figure.
This year I’m entering a variety of sewn goodies.
First is my pair of sewing cases, also called housewifes. I do like this little pair. They will be entered under the sewn items category.
Under the “Quilted Projects” category, I’ll have a pieced article of clothing and a quilted article of clothing. For a pieced item, I’ll be entering my quilted pocket.
The quilted article of clothing entry will be the quilted hood I am working on.
For my sewn article of clothing I keep changing my mind between one of my little purses or the capote hood I teeter-totter from liking to disliking.
Hood Observations
I should say quilted hood observations focusing on those which are shaped to resemble bonnets as there are so many kinds of winter hoods from the mid-century. You can find soft hoods which drape the head and shoulders, fluffly soft hoods which wrap around the head, shaped hoods which look similar to bonnets, those which are moderately shaped to cover the head and shoulders, and a multitude of combinations. Right now, I’m just looking at those which are shaped like a bonnet. (Yes, forcing myself to focus.)
Lets start with lining. I assumed incorrectly that I would see the majority of the interiors done in silk. As it turns out the vast majority of the linings are cottons. Some are solids, others are prints. Some are polished cottons, others are un-polished. Here you can see the brown polished cotton on the interior:
Image A - From "The Graceful Lady" site - A black velvet hood trimmed in fur with a polished cotton interior and black silk facing.
Shape
The shape of quilted hoods seems to range from mimicing the shape of bonnets right down to the shape of the cheek tabs to roughly suggesting a bonnet shape, more following the shape of the head in order to hug it with widened or shallowed cheek tabs. This green hood from MFA has rather distinctive cheek tabs. This quilted hood has a roughly follows the lines of a bonnet with a shallower brim, fitting closer to the face and cheektabs which are wider:
Image B - From "The Graceful Lady" site - Silk quilted hood with a bonnet-like shape which fits closer to the shape of the head. The turn back is of an accent fabric, as is the piping and binding.
The tips found in extant bonnets include both circular and those with flat bottoms. Someone also shared with me an ‘ugly’ style hood with a tear-drop shape tip.) Image B, above is an example of a tip with a flat bottom to which the bavolet attaches directly. This black silk bonnet from the MET collection is an example of a circular tip.
The bavolets, or curtains, are most often quilted though at times with a lesser fullness or thickness than the body of the hood. The shapes appear to include both straight pieces gathered to fit the neckline as well as curved pieces shaped to the neckline. The fronts of the bavolets appear in hoods both in attached and not attached states. The bavolet in image B is unattached, while those in image A, the green MFA hood and the black MET hood are all attached to the cheek tabs.
Materials
Exterior materials appearing in extant hoods include a variety of weaves of silks, velvets and light weight wools. I have heard word of cotton hoods as well, but have yet to see them in person. The silks include very fine silks to those that may have been considered inferior at the time with varigation in the dye and fiber/thread thickness. Some are woven stripes using taffeta, twill and satin weaves (Image B is a woven stripe). Some are printed fabrics including stripes and floral-stripes. Plaids are also seen. The exterior material is seen both set on the grain and on the bias. I have yet to determine which is more frequent and whether an angle or direction of the bias stripes or plaids is more common than other placements.
Trims
Extant hoods show a number of trims including fabric trims, fur and feathers. In this hood, the facing and possibly the lining is an accent silk set on the bias and turned out acting as a trim. On the green hood from the MFA collection we see a complimenting, nearly same colored fabric being used as a pleated trim around the brim and bavolet. On the black silk MET hood we see a self fabric trim pleated and placed around the brim, bavolet and tip. This hood also demonstrates the placement of ribbons. On this hood we see where the fur or down trim had encompassed the brim:
Image C - from Ebay - Black silk hood trimmed in fur or down. (currently for sale as of posting)
Wadding and Structure
Inside the hoods, the wadding has included cotton, wool and down. In the above image C, you can see some of the wadding revealed. Thicknesses seem to range from under a half inch to almost an inch. (The hoods known as ‘uglies’ are much thicker.) Whether this thickness has compacted over time is unknown.
The extant hoods I’ve looked at thus far have included those which are completely soft with no structure and this with structure in the brim or tip. The green hood from the MFA collection is caned through the brim giving the brim support. A hood in the Greene collection at GCVM has a woven straw in the tip for support.
Some of the hoods are assembled with piping, same fabric and contrasting/complimenting, others are seen without piping. The same can be said for binding along the brim and bavolet.
Additional Links
This appears to be a black silk hood with a white or off white cotton interior. (who’s hood this was)
How to Dress for a Photographer
This is a guest post thanks to Jenna Theissen. She shared this piece from the May 27th, 1865 edition of All the Year Round, Weekly Gazette & Comet out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Thank you to Jenna for sharing this interesting piece of information.
A lady or gentleman, having made up her or his mind to be photographed, naturally considers, in the first place, how to be dressed so as to show off to the best advantage. This is by no means such an important matter as many might imagine. Le me offer a few words of advice touching dress. Orange color, for certain optical reasons, if photographically dark. Blue is white; other shades or tones of color are proportionally dark or lighter as they contain more or less of these colors. the progressive scale of photographic color commences with the lightest. The order starts thus: White, light-blue, violet, pink, mauve, dark-blue, lemon, blue green, leather-bound, drab, cerise, magenta, yellow-green, dark-brown, purple, red, amber, maroon, orange, dead-black.
Complexion has to be much considered in connection with dress. Blondes can wear much lighter colors than brunettes; the latter always present better pictures in dark dresses, but neither look well in positive white. Violent contrast of colors should be especially guarded against. In photography brunettes possess a great advantage over the fairer sisters. The lovely goelden tresses lose all their transparent brilliancy, and are represented black; whilst the bonnie blue theme of rapture to the poet, is misery to the photographer; for is put entirely out. The simplest and most effective way of removing the yellow color from the hair is to powder it nearly white, is is thus brought to about the same photographic tint as in nature. The same rule, of course, applies to the complexions. A freckle quite invisible at a distance is, on account of it’s yellow color, rendered most painfully off tint when photographed. The puff box must be called inot the assistance of art. Here let me intrude one word of general advice. Blue, as we have seen is the most readily affected by light, and yellow the beast! It, therefore, you would keep your complexion clear and free from the tan freckles whilst taking your delightful rambles as the seaside, discard by all means the blue veil, and substitute a dark green or yellow one in its stead. Blue tulle oiler, no more obstruction to the actinic rays of the sun then white. Half a yard of yellow net though perhaps not so becoming, will be more efficacious and sonsderably chaper then a quart of kalydor.
This additional piece comes from the reverse side of a card from Flynn’s Gallery in Salem, N.Y.
“Some simple facts concerning Color will be useful to many, especially ladies, when deciding how to dress for a Photographic picture. Dark brown, dark green, maroon and plaind black goods, without gloss, will take a rich black color. Silks of the same will take considerably lighter, because they are glossy. Snuff-brown, dark blue, drab, scarlet, cherry, dark orange, crimson and slate, will take a very rich look. Violet, blue, purple, pink and magenta, will take very light and should be used dressing for photographs. The prevailing style of Plaids will take well. The hair should never be very wet or glossy.”
FFtF
Are you thinking about a millinery project for the fall or winter?
Do you want to know more about the lovely straw bonnet you wear?
Are you interested in cottage industries in the mid-century?
If yes is the answer any of these, check out From Field to Fashion: The Straw Bonnet, available through my Etsy store for just $10.
From Field to Fashion is a 46 page booklet with the following sections:
– Straw Bonnets and the Straw Bonnet Industry
– Straw, Harvest and Preparation
– Straw Plait
– Straw Cloth
– The Straw Bonnet Base
– Industry and Labor
– Finishing the Straw Bonnet
– Who Wore a Straw Bonnet When?
and an Appendix:
1 – Original Bonnets Online
2 – Bonnet Production in Massachusetts, 1855
3 – Millinery Establishments by State, 1860
4 – Straw Bonnet Shapes
5 – Fashion Quotes from Harper’s Monthly & Weekly
6 – Fashion Quotes from Godey’s Ladies Book
7 – Straw bonnet quotes from fiction
8 – Wheat and Rye produced, 1850 & 1860
9 – Straw Industry Statistics
10 – Straw and Bonnet Related US Patents
A Practical Look at Winter Clothing
I’m sure you’ve noticed my focus on being prepared for cool and colder weather as of late. It may seem a bit early since it is just now Labor Day, but for some of us the cold fall and colder winter weather will be here soon.
In my browsings I stumbled across this 1859 magazine published out of Buffalo, NY called The Home Monthly with a practical take on winter clothing:
Winter Clothing – Style and Material
We do now propose keeping our readers in the latest Parisian style, for we have no Genio Scott, Genin or Brodie to consult, and we hardly think we shall fail of our purpose without them. We do not choose to cater to fastidious fondness for the very latest pattern, and encourage ladies in exhausting their entire time with thoughts in the “where-withal shall we be clothed.”
Every lady ought to be dressed well, if not her purse will permit, but that does not mean to cast off a garment, because something later than that has appeared in the fashionable world, and that too with no regard to the better uses to which such expenditures could be put. But of course we need not mention this, for that sort of woman would scarcely read a magazine without fashion plates.
To dress meanly with no reason for so doing, and above all, to make religion an excuse for shabbiness, as Timothy Titcomb says, is abominable. It lessens our usefulness. We should be as beautiful as we can make ourselves, but that is not accomplished by any means in following the rule of fashion plates.
Merinos, and all wool Delaines are the most sensible as well as most durable of all materials for out-door wear at this season. Cut with pointed basques on slender figures, and trimmed neatly, with a dainty cambric collar and sleeves, and you have a costume suited to all ordinary occasions for winter wear. One’s own taste and length of purse should be the guide for extraordinary ones. Large plaids on small people, stripes on very tall ones; and Bayedere on short persons, are all equally unbecoming. Indeed, all conspicuous patterns weary the wearer who has refined taste, as well as the beholder. Above all thinks, consult, if possible, in an indirect way those you love best as to color, &c., provided your complexion will permit a choice.
The prettiest and most serviceable bonnet for winter is a black velvet. It admits of remodeling, and can be worn with propriety with any colored outer garment, and any color about the face.
The loose sacque or raglan of ladies’ cloth, is exceedingly convenient, as well as pretty and inexpensive for a cloak, as not trimming is required – nothing but a binding neatly stitched on.
The same material to be used for children’s wear, both boys and girls. Pretty wool cheques are cheap and durable for girl’s winter dresses, and boy’s coatees for the house. Above all things, don’t let them be made too short at the top and bottom of the garment. Many a mother’s pride has been gratified by the praise bestowed upon the fair neck and rounded limbs of her child, and after her heart has been broken, while laying them from her sight forever. Which will your choose?
Dress them warmly and let them out into the frosty, fresh air to grow rounder and fairer, albeit no one but yourself see how fair. We did not purpose saying this much, but it is written. Quarterly we will endeavor to suggest whatever is worthy of mention among the novelties of the season, always keeping our peculiar views of substantiality and beauty side by side.
New Materials
The challies which are offered at very reasonable prices this fall, are pretty, and seem likely to be the most durable of any commone dress goods that we find. They are nearly all in bayadere stripes – some of them high colored, but where warmth and durability are required we think they will be found very desirable. There is also a new material of Angola wool for dresses – heavier than wool delanes or merinos, which we judge to be very desirable for these qualities, viz: strength and durability, unless the satin stripe that adorns it should be found to fray out. – Dresses of this material can be bought in New York at $6, the pattern. This comes the nearest to ladies’ cloth of anything we have seen. The high-colored printed cashmeres – merino styles – are offered as low as six shillings per yard, while we found recently at Stewart’s the best colors of printed French merinos at a dollar per yard. The bright chintz, patterned, all wool delaines are offered lower than ever before. But no delaine can be as cheap as a good merino at least to those who wear their dresses out. We are glad to see more durable material for dresses coming into market. Much time and labor in dress-making will be saved by those who emply these materials. It is also a saving of expense, for the cost of making and trimming a dress of good, and of worthless material is very nearly the same. Every lady, then, should feel that time and labor are wasted in the making up of flimsy material and even if her means should be at first seem too limited to purchase that which is better, she should make a special effort to save up “capital to economise with”.
A Half Dozen Housewifes
I had fun putting these little pieces together. It can be fun playing with the fabrics, putting them together in ways I think the original cast might have.
Each of these are available for purchase on Etsy at a special limited time price .
I’m looking forward to doing some rolled pocket cases with each pocket a variation on one kind of fabric – Turkey reds, poison greens, Prussian blues and chrome yellows. I may even play with some all in plaids.
One Reason
A couple weeks back a good friend asked me why it is so important to me that other people are accurate in their living history portrayals. At the time, I had no profound answer. The best I could come up with is that it could possibly be a teaching thing. After all, whether in a formal or informal setting, your students, what they learn and how they demonstrate their knowledge is a reflection of you and your abilities.
I still don’t have any better answer.
But, that question certainly came back to me as I was reading through Jeff Spevak’s article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, “Caught in Time”. I read through the sections enjoying his use of words as he describes this admittedly unique hobby. Then I reached the section entitled “Supply Depots” at which point I came to a screeching halt as I read the words “____’s costume shop.” Those who know me well can likely picture the facial expression I had as my head titled to the side in irritation. This creak in my neck continued as I read further about historical items from another era being used. Of course this creaked neck and irritated facial expression was not the author’s fault. How was he to know the buttons things like this can push in certain reenactors?
Now, before I continue in the direction I am headed, I want to say Mr. Spevak’s piece is one of if not the best I have read regarding the nature of Civil War reenacting. He spent a good deal of time trying to get to know some of us peculiar creatures. He asked very good questions, pulling them together into a thorough article. (There is a supporting article as well.)
Let us get back to why this section made the question of why it is so important to me that other people are accurate pop back to mind
It boils right down to – One or two people can end up representing a whole group of people whether that is in a newspaper article or a student’s field trip or a family’s weekend vacation experience. So, that person or person needs to be as good as they can possibly be.
Yes, the individual mentioned has put a good amount of effort into his attire. He has thought out what he wears, why he wears it, and how he can best put his attire together.
But, there are those of us who spend hours and hours, often each day, some to the equivalent of a full time job or more, studying every aspect of our attire, our accessories, our pieces of material culture, our behavior and so on to make sure they can truly represent the Civil War era to the very best of our ability. In our research, we develop a deepening understanding of the era and respect for the extant pieces of material culture. We put a great deal of effort into acquiring or planning and constructing each garment we wear and every other item we choose.
I’m going to be completely honest here in saying, we don’t like it when the methods some people choose to develop their impression diminishes the way in which we develop ours. We don’t want spectators, whether a family, a group of students or journalists, to walk away from an event with a skewed or worse yet inaccurate understanding of the era or living history.
To some this makes us “thread-counters”, “stitch-nazis” or “mavens”. I’ll admit, I am finding this type of accusation harder and harder to contradict. Yes, I am picky. I am incredibly picky. I want to do my best. I want you to do your best. I believe research and accuracy are extremely important. Does this make me one of those things? Maybe. But, I assure you – I am more than happy to help you achieve your goals. I am more than happy to share my research (when it isn’t committed elsewhere.) I am also comfortable in admitting when I am wrong or there are holes in my research. I am human. I just want to see the best possible representation of our given time period because we are educating children and families.
Mr. Spevak’s article definitally helped point out one, no two reasons why other people’s accuracy is important to me. Each one of us has chosen to take on the responsibility to educate people, young and adult, about this era in American History. They deserve accurate information.
Travel (research) Reflections
I’ve been working on an 1830s travel program for GCVM. In the process I’ve learned a few things about travel, as well as a few other things I would like to share.
First, I have a big challenge going from an 1850s and 60s ‘mindset’ to an 1830s ‘mindset’. I am such a visual person, I need the aid of photographs and paintings to help me develop that mental picture. I also find I really need maps, detailed maps to aid in this visual. Another aspect is that I’ve spent my time from college on focusing on the time frame between approx 1848 and 1865 often obsessing right down to the minute detail. This amount of time can not compare to June, July and August.
In terms of clothing, the guide books I focused on suggested a dress to have sleeves that were not tight to prevent sweating. I altered my dress to have deeper armscyes and looser sleeves, especially through the upper arm. I find this aspect of the dress to be exceptionally comfortable. I have full movement of my arms comfortably. I believe even in exceptionally hot and humid weather, the sleeve will do well with not sticking or bunching against the skin. I do think the armscye is rather noticable in the front. This also throws off my attempt at a 30s sleeve since the change from the upper part of my sleeve, which is loosely fitted around my larger upper arms, to the larger lower sleeve is minimal. (I’ll see if I can get a good photo of that.)
When it came to the bodice, I couldn’t see how the back closing dresses of the 30s could possibly work for a woman who was supposed to be traveling alone. With several nights at inns and with rough travel, she would need a comfortable front closing dress. I opted for a cross-over bodice closing at the waist in the front. I fully admit, now that it is done it feels far more like a 50s bodice than a 30s. While sitting the neckline sits just above the drop of my shoulder but when standing it does not have the wider neckline of the time. If I were to have been working on a later 50s or 60s version, I definitally would have opted for a sacque & petti or sacque and dress combination in a seasonall appropriate material, ie linen or wool.
The weekend before the session run-through I learned the challenges of soot. I found out to late that my straw bonnet got smooshed while being stored in the car. (FYI – Hot, humid cars are not a good place to store bonnets.) Instead of the straw, I wore my white sheer cotton drawn bonnet. The material was a magnet for the soot coming from the steam engine. Before I knew it my white bonnet was speckled with little black spots. These little black spots do not come off. Of course, upon learning this first hand, I needed to include it in my discussion.
During that same event I found reason to question the wearing of white petticoats during railroad travel. With the second day’s weather being so wet, the soot gathered on the landing and steps of each car. While the front of my skirts could be controlled to avoid much of the layer of black, sticky soot mud, the backs could not. My inner petticoat, that directly over my cage, became black with soot a good foot up the inside. I should mention these are petticoats that get cleaned once a season due to the time involved in the starching and ironing. While I was able to wash most of the soot out with a good soak and wash in oxyclean, I am not certain when a traveler would have the time to have her petticoats washed. She certainly wouldn’t be able to on a regular basis during the journey even if washing services were available at the inns she stayed at. Would she go about in blackened petticoats? Would she opt for petticoats of a different color? I don’t know.
Boots, shoes and slippers. The wearing of stout leather boots certainly makes sense to any of us who have stood at the edge of a giant puddle while wearing something pretty on our feet. Some authors (I’ll double-check who if you need me to) suggest packing a pair of slippers in your travel bag, the one you carry with you. initially, when I read this years back I thought is was a nice idea. I didn’t think much beyond that. I think I figured out why these are so important. I’ve found if one sits too long in tight stockings, held snug at the knee, and tight boots, that the feet and ankles tend to swell. If on longer railroad or packet boat trips, one is able to remove her boots and loosen her stockings, there will be significantly more comfort. Now of course the question is, how does a woman do this while maintaining all decency? In the case of a woman staying in a ladies’ car, this would not be a big challenge. But what about a woman traveling in combined company?
Oh back to bonnets. There is a good reason why guide books suggest traveling hoods. When you need to rest your head due to a long journey, or a weather induced migraine in my case, a bonnet is exceptionally uncomfortable to lean you head against a seat or side of the rail car. I suppose the same would be true on a stage. So, I really understand the suggestion of a hood. But, my quandary is what we are seeing in images. Most of them show women in bonnets with traveling veils. So, do you board in your bonnet then change to you hood when you need to rest? The challenge I see there is where to put the bonnet. Do you have your band box with you? Is there even room for it to be carried with you? If you opt to wear your hood, do you, and if so, how do you attach a veil to a traveling hood? There are items like a bonnet shade or ugly intended for use with a bonnet during travel. These would suggest wearing the bonnet for the duration of travel, at least during non-rest times. At the same time, there are a great number of hoods. (But, these are more mid-century rather than the earlier 30s which I don’t know as well.)
Relatively random reflections on this process. Maybe in September I’ll have reflections on a scripted presentation style program verse an interactive student focused one.
Paisley Long Shawls
You know I Love paisley.
Elizabeth Aldridge is now offering Paisley long shawls, also known as scarf shawls. These lovely shawls are a silk and wool blend, 28″ wide and 70″ long. She has a variety to select from on her website. Just look under “Sundries”. I’m rather fond of the deep red one.
There are a couple ways you can take these shawls to make them bigger and more square.
One way is to take two shawls; trim off the border along one long side of each. Seam them together along the sides where the border was removed. This would give you a shawl roughly 70″ by 50″. You could do this with a third shawl adding it to the center. This could give roughly 70″x70″.
Another option is to take the borders off of these shawls and add them to a center square. You would need 2 shawls to go around a square wool shawl. (2 shawls = 4 borders.) You can attach the borders on all one side or on alternate corners for a turn-over shawl. (When it is folded, you will see both borders.
Adding ‘paisley’ borders to wool or cashmire centers was common in the mid-century. This happened in one of two ways. The borders were woven seperately. They could be sewn on the centers by a group of women then sold commercially or the borders could be sold/bought and sewn on at home.
Here is a great illustration of long shawls during the Regency era.
Here is a beautiful blue long shawl
For those thinking of piecing two or three of these shawls into a larger shawl, here is a 20s/30s shawl with the border added to the center.
This is a must-see 1815 English shawl in a brillian blue with floral motif
