AMERICAN CLOTHING AND TEXTILES IN THE MID-LATE 19th CENTURY
by Jenna Light
THE MANY LAYERS OF LADIES' FASHION
Corsets
Corsets in this period are used not only to shape the body, but to help support the weight of the hoops and skirts. Corsets are generally short, not extending much below the waist, as the voluminous skirts were already hiding the hips. Corsets hooked in the front and laced up the back. |
Corset covers could be worn over a corset to help smooth out the surface. Corset covers are essentially an early ancestor of a modern camisole; worn between the foundation garment and the outer garment to smooth out any bumps or edges created by the undermost garment. |
Working stays would be worn by women who needed to be able to move and work free from the confines of a corset. Stays generally had a shoulder strap, less boning, and could lace in either the front or back.
Petticoats
When hoop skirts began being manufactured, women no longer needed layer after layer of petticoats to hold out their enormous skirts. When rows and rows of steel hoops are holding out your skirt, you really only need two or three petticoats: perhaps one underneath the hoop for warmth/modesty, and one or two on top of the hoop to smooth out any bumps created by the hoops. |
Hoop Skirts
Hoop skirts, also called crinolines or "cage crinolines," are the undergarment responsible for the iconic ladies' silhouette of this period. Hoops were first made from whalebone, and were later made of steel.
Hoop skirts, also called crinolines or "cage crinolines," are the undergarment responsible for the iconic ladies' silhouette of this period. Hoops were first made from whalebone, and were later made of steel.
Gowns
Day dresses in this period were often two piece gowns, with the bodice hooking into the skirt at the waist. Sleeves were set low, necklines were set high, and collars and cuffs were often detachable for ease of washing. Calico, plaids, and stripes were all popular patterns. Advances in dyeing technologies resulted in brighter colored garments than previous periods.
Day dresses in this period were often two piece gowns, with the bodice hooking into the skirt at the waist. Sleeves were set low, necklines were set high, and collars and cuffs were often detachable for ease of washing. Calico, plaids, and stripes were all popular patterns. Advances in dyeing technologies resulted in brighter colored garments than previous periods.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Dress in two parts. Mid-19th cen.
A QUICK BLURB ABOUT GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK
Godey's Lady's Book was a very popular monthly magazine published by Louis A. Godey in Philadelphia from 1830-1878. At the height of its popularity in 1860, the magazine had 150,000 subscribers. Issues included fashion plates illustrating the latest trends, patterns and illustrations for garments that could be sewn at home, knitting patterns, sheet music, poems, and short stories. The one thing that the publication did not include was political and war-related information. Godey refused for the publication to take sides in the war, and even went as far to not acknowledge the war at all. This resulted in a notable decline in subscribers.
Godey was the first in America to copywrite his publication; he was afraid that competing publishers would steal his material, and apparently this move to protect the magazine's contributors was seen as rude and selfish at the time. Godey's Lady's Book, January 1851 - Project Gutenberg |
BEFORE PINTEREST, TRENDY BRIDES LOOKED TO THE QUEEN
At the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840, the bride wore white. This choice by Victoria is often credited as the beginning of white being the traditional color of wedding gowns.
Princess Royal Victoria, Victoria and Albert's eldest child, on her wedding day in 1858
TRENDS IN PATTERS AND TRIMS
FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS
More than 40,000 prospectors rushed to California in the late 1840's, hungry for gold. A man named Levi Strauss headed to San Francisco with a large supply of heavy canvas, intending to sell it to prospectors to make tents out of. When Levi Strauss heard the '49ers complaining that their pants were wearing out as a result of the hard mining work, he took some of his heavy canvas to a tailor and asked him to create work pants that could withstand the rough work of the miners. The canvas pants were a great success, but Levi Strauss had run out of the heavy canvas. He decided to order denim, another sturdy fabric, and had it dyed blue with indigo. The "Levi's" became the pants of choice for miners, and eventually farmers, cowboys, and other laborers.
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S/M/L/XL: THE BEGINNING OF CLOTHING SIZES
The American Civil War resulted several major changes in regards to clothing production. One of these innovations was the creation of a ready-made sizing system. As the demand for uniforms grew, there arose a need to be able to produce uniforms quickly and in large quantities.
The solution was to create four general sizes: small, medium, large, and extra large. |
The success of the ready-made, generally-sized uniforms soon influenced the way men's clothing was produced and sold. Women's clothing doesn't follow suit for a little while - women's clothing would still be largely custom-made or made at home until around the 1920's.
SING, SING, SINGER!
Isaac Singer was not the first inventor to create a sewing machine, but he was the first to create a machine capable of being produced quickly and cheaply. Singer, who apparently had a flair for dramatic and innovative marketing, would display his machines in beautiful showrooms, where gorgeous girls would demonstrate the machine's capabilities, as well as teaching onlookers how to operate the machines themselves.
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"The war generated an immediate and enormous demand for ready-to-wear uniforms: the Northern army wore out over a million and a half uniforms a year. Such quantities could only be supplied by sewing machines."
- Survey of Historic Costume, Eubank and Tortora, 2010
- Survey of Historic Costume, Eubank and Tortora, 2010
Sources and links
http://txcwcivilian.org/
http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Fashion/crinoline.htm
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMiEzc1RhHcSYvgn9OWAC5w
vintagefashionguild.org/fashion
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/159335
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/dress-578623
http://blog.fashionmetric.com/a-brief-history-of-standard-apparel-sizing/
Survey of Historic Fashion, Eubank and Tortora, 2010.
http://txcwcivilian.org/
http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Fashion/crinoline.htm
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMiEzc1RhHcSYvgn9OWAC5w
vintagefashionguild.org/fashion
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/159335
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/dress-578623
http://blog.fashionmetric.com/a-brief-history-of-standard-apparel-sizing/
Survey of Historic Fashion, Eubank and Tortora, 2010.