Post by jfdiow on Mar 23, 2007 11:32:35 GMT 1
What to Wear- a shortish guide to a basic outfit.
Re-enactors and Living Historians are often in the hobby for many different reasons, some of us like to concentrate on the minutiae of everyday life in a particular place, at a particular time and for a particular person, others like to concentrate on showing the big events, the world view and the wide background. Each of these and all the strata between has its special research to be done but for all of us we attempt to recreate life in the 18th century as it may have been lived. Visitors to our events should be able to catch a snapshot of 18th century life as they enter the event, well before they have a chance to view a skirmish or interact with us and for most of them that will be what we look like and what we seem to be doing.
The following is a series of working notes for the distaff side of NFOE ¡VBritish, Colonial and French-not Native Forces. It is not expected that we will all dress the same, as our American cousins say ¡¥the cookie cutter approach is out¡¦ women¡¦s dress is not a uniform, however an authentic 18th century look will enhance our general appearance, just as much as having the right uniform helps the men. Many of you will have already done the research but I offer these general comments as a help for us allƒº
Article 1: Basic layers, fabrics and colours (include illustration from pg.2 of WSIW with acknowledgement to Kate Johnson)
From the inside out: - all of these will be described in more detail later.
Shift, under petticoat, stays, pocket, petticoat (s), gown/jacket/bedgown, handkerchief
Also cap, stockings, shoes,
Optional-hat, cloak, short cloak, mittens
What not to wear:
Shawl- especially triangular, knitted or crocheted,
Visible ¡¥French¡¦ or ¡¥English¡¦ Bodice
¡¥Shower cap¡¦ circular with elastic or drawstring band
None of these items has any known documentation for general 18th century women¡¦s wear and are the most likely inauthentic items to be noticed by the public.
In addition wearing no outer layer (no gown/jacket or bedgown) just petticoat, shift and stays whilst possible if carrying out heavy labour at home was not usual dress in public and I feel should not be seen as ¡¥normal¡¦ wear at our events.
Fabrics:
There is a vast range of types of fabrics mentioned in the contemporary 18th century accounts but they basically come down to wool or linen. Wools make excellent petticoats, aprons and outer garments for winter or cold weather wear, and are surprisingly good in hot weather as well. A wool handkerchief of lightweight wool (nun¡¦s veiling) is very warm in winter. Wool has a natural advantage for anyone working around an open fire as it tends to smoulder before flaming giving some warning! Wool also retains its insulating abilities even when wet.
Linen is the best authentic fabric for inner clothing; shifts were nearly universally made from linen of various qualities. Linen is good because it breathes and also becomes stronger when wet, it can also be easily washed and becomes whiter with exposure to the sun when drying.
Specialist fabrics such as linsey-woolsey are available from on-line shops such as Burnley & Trowbridge.
Cotton- although short staple cotton was available from the Southern parts of North America for F&I use it was not common for general wear. The exception might be ¡¥Virginia cloth¡¦ but prior to the AWI this was usually used for lower class and slave clothing. Cotton has disadvantages for re-enacting wear as it feels cold when damp/wet, and flares easily from a spark.
Silk garments are usually only seen on high status women but silk handkerchiefs and ribbons (cap and neck) are described on middling and lower sorts.
Colours.
Plain colours were very common, especially indigo blue (think blue jeans colour) and yellow, although wool takes natural dyes very well so there is a whole range of colours available. Linen takes a dye less readily so unbleached or bleached linen is common, although coloured linen was available.
Try to avoid Victorian purple and any other aniline dye colours (virulent apple green and turquoise) especially on linen. Many natural dye colours fade quite quickly so bright colours should not be used to excess.
Stripes are also quite common but are always woven and balanced/symmetrical i.e. stripe goes red white blue white red rather than the modern printed stripes which tend to repeat i.e. red ,white, blue, red, white, blue. Greens (because a good green is an overdyed blue on yellow, or yellow on blue) and other double-dyed colours tend to be more expensive which implies higher status- but of course a lot of clothing was re-made or second-hand. 2 or three colour striped fabric was fairly common.
Prints are difficult; there is lots of print fabric available which are ¡¥based¡¦ on 18th century fabrics but quite often adapted for modern taste. Looking at contemporary pattern books and extant fabrics and garments help to develop an eye for authentic looking prints. Printed handkerchiefs are described on both women and men.
Article 2: What others see Of gowns, jackets and others- The Normal Outer layer. (inc. illustrations for WSIW pg. 17, 19 &21)
There are very few descriptions of women outside of their home environment dressed in their underwear (although in the late century some of the diaries of visitors to the hotter parts of America do mention this, mostly as a shocked comment on modern youth!) so in general, unless doing vigorous work (hay-making, laundry etc.) most women would wear some kind of gown or jacket, with an outer petticoat, even when this item was removed for work it would be replaced as soon as the work was done, and almost definitely before meeting others.
This outer top garment could be as simple as a BEDGOWN or French MANTEAU De LIT a thigh length loose jacket, very easy to sew, and fastened with pins or simply kept together by the apron strings. Good patterns are available in Beth Gilgun¡¦s ¡¥Tidings of the 18th century¡¦ (although there is a slight problem with the instructions!) and in Mill Farm and Kaniks Korner range of patterns. A BEDGOWN is an excellent starter garment as it does not show the lack of stays, and is easy to wear. Other garments don¡¦t fit properly over an unstayed body.
JPRyan¡¦s Basic 18th century outfit contains a SHORTGOWN pattern a sort of semi-fitted bedgown, although there is some discussion about this shortgown being universally worn (extant examples are from a restricted time period and area of America) in my (fairly humble) opinion this is a reasonable starter garment for general British or Colonial wear. No evidence for French or Canadienne wear.
JACKETs came in many different shapes from the ¡¥shortgown¡¦ of late century Pennsylvania to the ¡¥pet-en-l¡¦air¡¦ sacque jacket of France. Nearly all of the jackets of the 1750¡¦s & 60¡¦s have cuffs- either the earlier winged cuffs or the more fashionable close cuffs, and very few have the flounces and engageantes of the high rococo fashion. Most jackets are fastened with pins, some with ribbon ties and the more elaborate can have stomachers.
JPRyan does a very nice jacket pattern, based on examples shown in Janet Arnold, and with a choice of fabric, and a selection of designs even women using exactly the same pattern do not look exactly the same. Both cuffed styles are appropriate for mid-century wear in the colonies although French women may wish to go with a sacque back jacket (pet-en-l¡¦air or casaquin-also available in JPRyan¡¦s range of patterns) La Fleur de Lys have a pattern called ¡¥Canadienne de Novelle France¡¦ which includes a pattern for a mantelet. It does appear that French women of the middling sort wore jacket and petticoat combinations more often than English women of a similar status who tended to wear Gowns.
GOWNs were worn by all levels of society and differed mainly in fabric and decoration, thus a women in backwoods Pennsylvania may wear a plain wool gown of a very similar cut to the gown worn at a Governor¡¦s ball by the wife of a British Officer. The simple gown was in the ¡¥a l¡¦anglaise¡¦ style (even for French women) and was cut en fourreau thus the back panel was in one piece from neck to hem and the pleats are sewn into place. The normal fastening at the front was a stomacher or ribbon ties across the front of the stays, edge to edge closure tended to be a later style.
Patterns for Gowns that are accurate to the period are not common and may reflect why gowns are not seen more often in re-enacting circles despite their popularity for 18th century wear. Mill Farm has produced a gown pattern in the same packet as her ¡¥robe a la francaise¡¦ pattern, but it does require on-body draping which is the period way of fitting the back of the gown but is very difficult for sewers working alone!
Janet Arnold has a draft of a gown in ¡¥Patterns of Fashion¡¦ which experienced sewers can adapt to fit.
JPRyan has a new pattern ¡¥robe a la anglaise¡¦ which has both an en foureau style and a later style in the same packet-both aimed at Rev War. For an earlier mid-century look the sleeves would need cuffs and the front closure may need adapting.
Fabrics for common wear were usually wool or linen (or linsey-woolsey) and plain colours or balanced symmetrical stripes. Petticoats didn¡¦t usually match the gown/jacket/bedgown unless of a very low status (slave-very plain unbleached or blue) or very high status (silks, striped linen, wool brocade) although there are descriptions of both items being patterned, striped etc.
What NOT to wear as outer wear. The ¡¥French¡¦ or ¡¥English¡¦ bodices sold by some of the re-enacting supply companies have no authenticity as outer wear and dubious connections with the women¡¦s waistcoats worn as underwear for warmth or during pregnancy. They may have a slight relationship with lightly boned support garments ¡¥jumps¡¦ which again are underwear. Comparisons with original garments show differing placement of seams, different closure methods and other oddities. Lots of highly respected researchers have commented on this article. If you have one of these, please read ¡¥the Mythical Bodice¡¦ available on-line before you wear it in full view (if no-one sees it then who is to say that you are wearing it!).
If an 18th century women was not wearing her jacket/gown/bedgown then her shift, stays, and outer petticoat would normally be seen, she would also normally retain her handkerchief and cap.
Article 3:The Washable bits: shift, handkerchief, cap, apron. (with illustration from pg8 & pg27)
It is a common misconception that the average 18th century person stunk to high heaven and never washed their clothes. Soap and water were available, some of the richer people had baths in their houses and personal linen was washed quite frequently.
The shift was the basic item of women¡¦s clothing and most women owned at least a couple of shifts, they were worn as the layer next to the skin during the day and night.
The basic shift was made from plain serviceable linen, usually white although some slave shifts and those worn by labourers may be unbleached. Shifts may also have more than one quality of linen- i.e. the sleeves in a different quality to the body.
The neckline was fairly low and squarish, with a higher back to help the shift not to fall off the shoulders, the front neckline coming as low as just above the top of the stays. This neckline may be cut to shape and hemmed or may include a drawstring along the edge but should still be cut to shape, the drawstring just making the final adjustments.
Sleeves were just slightly longer than the jacket or other outer garment i.e. just beyond elbow length ending in a plain small cuff (joined by link buttons for posh shifts, linen tape for others), straight hem or sometimes a drawstring hem.
For Sunday best and for more elaborate posh wear ruffles or engageantes were added to the shift cuff, these were usually easily removable for washing, although during the 1760¡¦s and into the 70¡¦s engageantes began to be attached to the body of the gown rather than the shift.
For elaborate wear a small ruffle may be attached to the neckline of the shift- single thickness with very narrow rolled hem and slightly gathered- this was unusual for most ¡¥common¡¦ women.
The shift covered the full length of the body down to just below knee length, well above petticoat hems but long enough to sit on comfortably.
Shift patterns can be found in Tidings, JPRyan Basic Wardrobe, Mill Farm and Kanniks Korner, Costume in Close-up also has a pattern taken from an original shift. The shift was made to last and so seams are run and fell, and the hem turned.
The space between the shift and the neck was filled in with a handkerchief- a large square of fabric (usually linen) folded into a triangle and pinned or tucked round the neck- this gave modesty to those worried and some protection from the sun, it was also very easily washed and changed. Handkerchiefs need not be white linen, printed, striped, spotted, checked, bordered and coloured handkerchiefs are all mentioned and they could be silk as well, silk handkerchiefs turn up on runaways and many women could afford a silk handkerchief or a ribbon for their cap.
Aprons and caps were the other items usually made of linen and washed frequently, caps were not only important to protect the hair from everyday dirt but were also a symbol of respectability and normality- very few women were ever seen without a cap, even at night.
The style of caps can vary considerably, from a simple caul gathered to a wide band, to an elaborate double frilled French concoction. If unsure as to what to wear it is well worth trying on lots of caps in different styles to find one that suits your face and persona. Hair may be seen under a cap, and if young or very poor might be worn in a braid or clubbed behind, although most women would put their hair up under the cap.
Cap patterns can be obtained from Mill Farm, La Fleur dy Lys, (especially for wonderful French caps) JPRyan, Kanniks Korner as well as Tidings.
Aprons were worn by all levels of society and all women, usually of linen they might also be made from wool which owing to its less flammable qualities is a boon when working around a fire- your nose will tell you when a spark has got onto a wool apron before it flares.
It is noticeable in period art that the majority of English women do not wear bibbed aprons although the majority of French women do- these is not an absolute rule but may be a guidelineļ. Bibbed aprons are pinned to the gown, and often end in a point into the body of the apron.
Some aprons also have a section not connected to the apron band/strings, these may assist when carrying things in the apron as they can be tucked in, or may just be a particular style. Aprons should be long enough to do the job, whilst stopping short of the petticoat hem, and should be quite full and wide, although not covering the pocket slits of the petticoat. The top of the apron should be gathered or pleated to a narrow band and the apron strings (or narrow line tape) sewn on either end, long enough to fasten at the front in a small bow (which again helps when carrying things).
Don¡¦t be afraid of getting your apron dirty and then washing it- but please try to avoid the Persil-white Daz shine with noticeable ironing marks!
I think there are instructions for an apron in JPRyan basic wardrobe, but they are very simple to make.
Article 4:
Of stays and support. (use illustration from front of pattern packet- JPRyan and Mantua Maker Stays & Mill Farm jumps)
Stays are one of the most expensive articles of clothing that a female 18th century re-enactor has to obtain. They can be expensive in cash if bought and are equally expensive in time if made but they are essential. Girls also wore stays but I would suggest for re-enactor children that jumps might be more comfortable unless they feel ready for stays.
Wearing well-made stays is not uncomfortable, they give a lot of support to the back and help you to walk and move in the ¡¥correct¡¦ way. They improve your posture and are not meant to be restrictive in any way and also help clothes made from period patterns to fit.
Stays may be strapped or strapless, although strapless is more common on working women as they are slightly less restrictive in bending and twisting.
Stays are generally made from several layers of linen, including an inner layer as well as the boning. and often had a lightly attached inner washable linen lining. Boning was usually whalebone which is now extremely difficult to obtain so many re-enactors use steel, canes, whalebone replacement, plastic or a combination of different materials. Plastic boning tends to be too flexible, especially when hot, but is cheap and easily available, steel is heavy but strong, canes tend to break unless fully boned- I have no experience with the German whalebone replacement.
Stays may also be semi-boned or lightly boned- usually with bones along each side of the seam lines, at the back and down the front panel. Some stays had additional stomachers, although by the 1760¡¦s most stays were one piece.
Stays for the very poor can be made from very thick leather, cut to shape and scored along the seam lines; these were often back and front laced.
All stays were back-lacing, although some stays (for working women) were front-lacing as well and some had side lacing for even more adjustment.
The lacing for most stays is spiral- that is only the top and bottom holes are aligned and one lace is used (not Victorian cross-lacing)-lacing from the bottom to the top gives a lot of support. Some stays with front ¡Vlacing, especially across a stomacher used the criss-cross lacing style for decorative effect.
Stay patterns come from JPRyan and Mantua Maker- there are several 18th century seamstresses who will make stays noticeably Jill Knights.
There was also something called ¡¥jumps¡¦ a clear description of which does not exist, but they seem to have been similar to stays, worn at casual, home occasions or when in a delicate condition. Probably only front-lacing, and lightly boned they seem to have been cut on similar lines to stays (several shaped panels)
Mill Farm sells a ¡¥jumps¡¦ pattern
Women¡¦s waistcoats worn for warmth also exist, these were quilted and in some cases lightly boned and worn under outer layers as an extra layer for warmth- these are not usually needed at NFOE events ¡Vso far at least! This is the ¡¥corset blanc¡¦.
There is no provenance for the ¡¥French bodice¡¦ or the ¡¥English bodice¡¦ that many sutlers sell. The seams are in the wrong place, they offer very little support, the necklines are wrong and quite often the fabric is too.
These garments do very little to enhance our overall look, show a lack of research to those that know and I would plead that we do not allow them to be worn on show- for those newbies and others who have invested in one and do not yet have stays then I would suggest the immediate application of a bedgown.
To come;
Article 5:
What goes below-Of petticoats, shoes, stockings and garters
Article 6:
What goes above, of hats and cloaks and mittens (with a note on jewellery and make-up)
Article 7:
And to carry it off- pockets, baskets and bags
Article 8:
And what then should we do- suggestions for activities for female living history
Re-enactors and Living Historians are often in the hobby for many different reasons, some of us like to concentrate on the minutiae of everyday life in a particular place, at a particular time and for a particular person, others like to concentrate on showing the big events, the world view and the wide background. Each of these and all the strata between has its special research to be done but for all of us we attempt to recreate life in the 18th century as it may have been lived. Visitors to our events should be able to catch a snapshot of 18th century life as they enter the event, well before they have a chance to view a skirmish or interact with us and for most of them that will be what we look like and what we seem to be doing.
The following is a series of working notes for the distaff side of NFOE ¡VBritish, Colonial and French-not Native Forces. It is not expected that we will all dress the same, as our American cousins say ¡¥the cookie cutter approach is out¡¦ women¡¦s dress is not a uniform, however an authentic 18th century look will enhance our general appearance, just as much as having the right uniform helps the men. Many of you will have already done the research but I offer these general comments as a help for us allƒº
Article 1: Basic layers, fabrics and colours (include illustration from pg.2 of WSIW with acknowledgement to Kate Johnson)
From the inside out: - all of these will be described in more detail later.
Shift, under petticoat, stays, pocket, petticoat (s), gown/jacket/bedgown, handkerchief
Also cap, stockings, shoes,
Optional-hat, cloak, short cloak, mittens
What not to wear:
Shawl- especially triangular, knitted or crocheted,
Visible ¡¥French¡¦ or ¡¥English¡¦ Bodice
¡¥Shower cap¡¦ circular with elastic or drawstring band
None of these items has any known documentation for general 18th century women¡¦s wear and are the most likely inauthentic items to be noticed by the public.
In addition wearing no outer layer (no gown/jacket or bedgown) just petticoat, shift and stays whilst possible if carrying out heavy labour at home was not usual dress in public and I feel should not be seen as ¡¥normal¡¦ wear at our events.
Fabrics:
There is a vast range of types of fabrics mentioned in the contemporary 18th century accounts but they basically come down to wool or linen. Wools make excellent petticoats, aprons and outer garments for winter or cold weather wear, and are surprisingly good in hot weather as well. A wool handkerchief of lightweight wool (nun¡¦s veiling) is very warm in winter. Wool has a natural advantage for anyone working around an open fire as it tends to smoulder before flaming giving some warning! Wool also retains its insulating abilities even when wet.
Linen is the best authentic fabric for inner clothing; shifts were nearly universally made from linen of various qualities. Linen is good because it breathes and also becomes stronger when wet, it can also be easily washed and becomes whiter with exposure to the sun when drying.
Specialist fabrics such as linsey-woolsey are available from on-line shops such as Burnley & Trowbridge.
Cotton- although short staple cotton was available from the Southern parts of North America for F&I use it was not common for general wear. The exception might be ¡¥Virginia cloth¡¦ but prior to the AWI this was usually used for lower class and slave clothing. Cotton has disadvantages for re-enacting wear as it feels cold when damp/wet, and flares easily from a spark.
Silk garments are usually only seen on high status women but silk handkerchiefs and ribbons (cap and neck) are described on middling and lower sorts.
Colours.
Plain colours were very common, especially indigo blue (think blue jeans colour) and yellow, although wool takes natural dyes very well so there is a whole range of colours available. Linen takes a dye less readily so unbleached or bleached linen is common, although coloured linen was available.
Try to avoid Victorian purple and any other aniline dye colours (virulent apple green and turquoise) especially on linen. Many natural dye colours fade quite quickly so bright colours should not be used to excess.
Stripes are also quite common but are always woven and balanced/symmetrical i.e. stripe goes red white blue white red rather than the modern printed stripes which tend to repeat i.e. red ,white, blue, red, white, blue. Greens (because a good green is an overdyed blue on yellow, or yellow on blue) and other double-dyed colours tend to be more expensive which implies higher status- but of course a lot of clothing was re-made or second-hand. 2 or three colour striped fabric was fairly common.
Prints are difficult; there is lots of print fabric available which are ¡¥based¡¦ on 18th century fabrics but quite often adapted for modern taste. Looking at contemporary pattern books and extant fabrics and garments help to develop an eye for authentic looking prints. Printed handkerchiefs are described on both women and men.
Article 2: What others see Of gowns, jackets and others- The Normal Outer layer. (inc. illustrations for WSIW pg. 17, 19 &21)
There are very few descriptions of women outside of their home environment dressed in their underwear (although in the late century some of the diaries of visitors to the hotter parts of America do mention this, mostly as a shocked comment on modern youth!) so in general, unless doing vigorous work (hay-making, laundry etc.) most women would wear some kind of gown or jacket, with an outer petticoat, even when this item was removed for work it would be replaced as soon as the work was done, and almost definitely before meeting others.
This outer top garment could be as simple as a BEDGOWN or French MANTEAU De LIT a thigh length loose jacket, very easy to sew, and fastened with pins or simply kept together by the apron strings. Good patterns are available in Beth Gilgun¡¦s ¡¥Tidings of the 18th century¡¦ (although there is a slight problem with the instructions!) and in Mill Farm and Kaniks Korner range of patterns. A BEDGOWN is an excellent starter garment as it does not show the lack of stays, and is easy to wear. Other garments don¡¦t fit properly over an unstayed body.
JPRyan¡¦s Basic 18th century outfit contains a SHORTGOWN pattern a sort of semi-fitted bedgown, although there is some discussion about this shortgown being universally worn (extant examples are from a restricted time period and area of America) in my (fairly humble) opinion this is a reasonable starter garment for general British or Colonial wear. No evidence for French or Canadienne wear.
JACKETs came in many different shapes from the ¡¥shortgown¡¦ of late century Pennsylvania to the ¡¥pet-en-l¡¦air¡¦ sacque jacket of France. Nearly all of the jackets of the 1750¡¦s & 60¡¦s have cuffs- either the earlier winged cuffs or the more fashionable close cuffs, and very few have the flounces and engageantes of the high rococo fashion. Most jackets are fastened with pins, some with ribbon ties and the more elaborate can have stomachers.
JPRyan does a very nice jacket pattern, based on examples shown in Janet Arnold, and with a choice of fabric, and a selection of designs even women using exactly the same pattern do not look exactly the same. Both cuffed styles are appropriate for mid-century wear in the colonies although French women may wish to go with a sacque back jacket (pet-en-l¡¦air or casaquin-also available in JPRyan¡¦s range of patterns) La Fleur de Lys have a pattern called ¡¥Canadienne de Novelle France¡¦ which includes a pattern for a mantelet. It does appear that French women of the middling sort wore jacket and petticoat combinations more often than English women of a similar status who tended to wear Gowns.
GOWNs were worn by all levels of society and differed mainly in fabric and decoration, thus a women in backwoods Pennsylvania may wear a plain wool gown of a very similar cut to the gown worn at a Governor¡¦s ball by the wife of a British Officer. The simple gown was in the ¡¥a l¡¦anglaise¡¦ style (even for French women) and was cut en fourreau thus the back panel was in one piece from neck to hem and the pleats are sewn into place. The normal fastening at the front was a stomacher or ribbon ties across the front of the stays, edge to edge closure tended to be a later style.
Patterns for Gowns that are accurate to the period are not common and may reflect why gowns are not seen more often in re-enacting circles despite their popularity for 18th century wear. Mill Farm has produced a gown pattern in the same packet as her ¡¥robe a la francaise¡¦ pattern, but it does require on-body draping which is the period way of fitting the back of the gown but is very difficult for sewers working alone!
Janet Arnold has a draft of a gown in ¡¥Patterns of Fashion¡¦ which experienced sewers can adapt to fit.
JPRyan has a new pattern ¡¥robe a la anglaise¡¦ which has both an en foureau style and a later style in the same packet-both aimed at Rev War. For an earlier mid-century look the sleeves would need cuffs and the front closure may need adapting.
Fabrics for common wear were usually wool or linen (or linsey-woolsey) and plain colours or balanced symmetrical stripes. Petticoats didn¡¦t usually match the gown/jacket/bedgown unless of a very low status (slave-very plain unbleached or blue) or very high status (silks, striped linen, wool brocade) although there are descriptions of both items being patterned, striped etc.
What NOT to wear as outer wear. The ¡¥French¡¦ or ¡¥English¡¦ bodices sold by some of the re-enacting supply companies have no authenticity as outer wear and dubious connections with the women¡¦s waistcoats worn as underwear for warmth or during pregnancy. They may have a slight relationship with lightly boned support garments ¡¥jumps¡¦ which again are underwear. Comparisons with original garments show differing placement of seams, different closure methods and other oddities. Lots of highly respected researchers have commented on this article. If you have one of these, please read ¡¥the Mythical Bodice¡¦ available on-line before you wear it in full view (if no-one sees it then who is to say that you are wearing it!).
If an 18th century women was not wearing her jacket/gown/bedgown then her shift, stays, and outer petticoat would normally be seen, she would also normally retain her handkerchief and cap.
Article 3:The Washable bits: shift, handkerchief, cap, apron. (with illustration from pg8 & pg27)
It is a common misconception that the average 18th century person stunk to high heaven and never washed their clothes. Soap and water were available, some of the richer people had baths in their houses and personal linen was washed quite frequently.
The shift was the basic item of women¡¦s clothing and most women owned at least a couple of shifts, they were worn as the layer next to the skin during the day and night.
The basic shift was made from plain serviceable linen, usually white although some slave shifts and those worn by labourers may be unbleached. Shifts may also have more than one quality of linen- i.e. the sleeves in a different quality to the body.
The neckline was fairly low and squarish, with a higher back to help the shift not to fall off the shoulders, the front neckline coming as low as just above the top of the stays. This neckline may be cut to shape and hemmed or may include a drawstring along the edge but should still be cut to shape, the drawstring just making the final adjustments.
Sleeves were just slightly longer than the jacket or other outer garment i.e. just beyond elbow length ending in a plain small cuff (joined by link buttons for posh shifts, linen tape for others), straight hem or sometimes a drawstring hem.
For Sunday best and for more elaborate posh wear ruffles or engageantes were added to the shift cuff, these were usually easily removable for washing, although during the 1760¡¦s and into the 70¡¦s engageantes began to be attached to the body of the gown rather than the shift.
For elaborate wear a small ruffle may be attached to the neckline of the shift- single thickness with very narrow rolled hem and slightly gathered- this was unusual for most ¡¥common¡¦ women.
The shift covered the full length of the body down to just below knee length, well above petticoat hems but long enough to sit on comfortably.
Shift patterns can be found in Tidings, JPRyan Basic Wardrobe, Mill Farm and Kanniks Korner, Costume in Close-up also has a pattern taken from an original shift. The shift was made to last and so seams are run and fell, and the hem turned.
The space between the shift and the neck was filled in with a handkerchief- a large square of fabric (usually linen) folded into a triangle and pinned or tucked round the neck- this gave modesty to those worried and some protection from the sun, it was also very easily washed and changed. Handkerchiefs need not be white linen, printed, striped, spotted, checked, bordered and coloured handkerchiefs are all mentioned and they could be silk as well, silk handkerchiefs turn up on runaways and many women could afford a silk handkerchief or a ribbon for their cap.
Aprons and caps were the other items usually made of linen and washed frequently, caps were not only important to protect the hair from everyday dirt but were also a symbol of respectability and normality- very few women were ever seen without a cap, even at night.
The style of caps can vary considerably, from a simple caul gathered to a wide band, to an elaborate double frilled French concoction. If unsure as to what to wear it is well worth trying on lots of caps in different styles to find one that suits your face and persona. Hair may be seen under a cap, and if young or very poor might be worn in a braid or clubbed behind, although most women would put their hair up under the cap.
Cap patterns can be obtained from Mill Farm, La Fleur dy Lys, (especially for wonderful French caps) JPRyan, Kanniks Korner as well as Tidings.
Aprons were worn by all levels of society and all women, usually of linen they might also be made from wool which owing to its less flammable qualities is a boon when working around a fire- your nose will tell you when a spark has got onto a wool apron before it flares.
It is noticeable in period art that the majority of English women do not wear bibbed aprons although the majority of French women do- these is not an absolute rule but may be a guidelineļ. Bibbed aprons are pinned to the gown, and often end in a point into the body of the apron.
Some aprons also have a section not connected to the apron band/strings, these may assist when carrying things in the apron as they can be tucked in, or may just be a particular style. Aprons should be long enough to do the job, whilst stopping short of the petticoat hem, and should be quite full and wide, although not covering the pocket slits of the petticoat. The top of the apron should be gathered or pleated to a narrow band and the apron strings (or narrow line tape) sewn on either end, long enough to fasten at the front in a small bow (which again helps when carrying things).
Don¡¦t be afraid of getting your apron dirty and then washing it- but please try to avoid the Persil-white Daz shine with noticeable ironing marks!
I think there are instructions for an apron in JPRyan basic wardrobe, but they are very simple to make.
Article 4:
Of stays and support. (use illustration from front of pattern packet- JPRyan and Mantua Maker Stays & Mill Farm jumps)
Stays are one of the most expensive articles of clothing that a female 18th century re-enactor has to obtain. They can be expensive in cash if bought and are equally expensive in time if made but they are essential. Girls also wore stays but I would suggest for re-enactor children that jumps might be more comfortable unless they feel ready for stays.
Wearing well-made stays is not uncomfortable, they give a lot of support to the back and help you to walk and move in the ¡¥correct¡¦ way. They improve your posture and are not meant to be restrictive in any way and also help clothes made from period patterns to fit.
Stays may be strapped or strapless, although strapless is more common on working women as they are slightly less restrictive in bending and twisting.
Stays are generally made from several layers of linen, including an inner layer as well as the boning. and often had a lightly attached inner washable linen lining. Boning was usually whalebone which is now extremely difficult to obtain so many re-enactors use steel, canes, whalebone replacement, plastic or a combination of different materials. Plastic boning tends to be too flexible, especially when hot, but is cheap and easily available, steel is heavy but strong, canes tend to break unless fully boned- I have no experience with the German whalebone replacement.
Stays may also be semi-boned or lightly boned- usually with bones along each side of the seam lines, at the back and down the front panel. Some stays had additional stomachers, although by the 1760¡¦s most stays were one piece.
Stays for the very poor can be made from very thick leather, cut to shape and scored along the seam lines; these were often back and front laced.
All stays were back-lacing, although some stays (for working women) were front-lacing as well and some had side lacing for even more adjustment.
The lacing for most stays is spiral- that is only the top and bottom holes are aligned and one lace is used (not Victorian cross-lacing)-lacing from the bottom to the top gives a lot of support. Some stays with front ¡Vlacing, especially across a stomacher used the criss-cross lacing style for decorative effect.
Stay patterns come from JPRyan and Mantua Maker- there are several 18th century seamstresses who will make stays noticeably Jill Knights.
There was also something called ¡¥jumps¡¦ a clear description of which does not exist, but they seem to have been similar to stays, worn at casual, home occasions or when in a delicate condition. Probably only front-lacing, and lightly boned they seem to have been cut on similar lines to stays (several shaped panels)
Mill Farm sells a ¡¥jumps¡¦ pattern
Women¡¦s waistcoats worn for warmth also exist, these were quilted and in some cases lightly boned and worn under outer layers as an extra layer for warmth- these are not usually needed at NFOE events ¡Vso far at least! This is the ¡¥corset blanc¡¦.
There is no provenance for the ¡¥French bodice¡¦ or the ¡¥English bodice¡¦ that many sutlers sell. The seams are in the wrong place, they offer very little support, the necklines are wrong and quite often the fabric is too.
These garments do very little to enhance our overall look, show a lack of research to those that know and I would plead that we do not allow them to be worn on show- for those newbies and others who have invested in one and do not yet have stays then I would suggest the immediate application of a bedgown.
To come;
Article 5:
What goes below-Of petticoats, shoes, stockings and garters
Article 6:
What goes above, of hats and cloaks and mittens (with a note on jewellery and make-up)
Article 7:
And to carry it off- pockets, baskets and bags
Article 8:
And what then should we do- suggestions for activities for female living history