1817 Couple In Jane Austen and Bridgerton style Walking Dress and Gentleman in Same Green Redingote.
Lady: Blue satin Spencer over a white dress with puffed trimming around hem, pink bonnet, white ruff and tucker. Man: Long green Redingote, or overcoat, in the English style. Long brown trousers, striped waistcoat or vest, top hat, gloves and boots. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. Definition Redingote Or Coat Or Pelisse: Long fitted outdoor coat worn over other garments for warmth. French word developed from English words, riding coat. French fashion plates call these coats a Redingote and English plates call them a Pelisse, Or Walking Dress, or Carriage Costume. These are the types of outfits worn by Jane Austen and contemporaries in English magazines, where French fashions were obsessively copied despite the two countries being at war for many years.
This same Fashion Plate is seen below for the gentleman.
11817 Long Green Straight Redingote, or Greatcoat, French. Gentleman wearing an English style overcoat, long brown trousers, striped waistcoat or vest, top hat, gloves and boots. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
HN_23_D2D_Fashion Men 1800-1819 History Notes Book 23
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1816 May Wedding Dress Of Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817). Worn at her wedding to Prince Leopold Saxe-Coburg. Silk satin high-waisted bodice with short puffed sleeves, dipping neckline, underskirt, overskirt, train and apron. Created by Mrs Triaud, London dressmaker although this may not be the original skirt. Metallic embroidery was very fashionable for court dress in early 19th Century despite the cost and delicacy but was an unusual choice for Princess Charlotte who preferred to dress simply. via Museum of London, UK. museumoflondon.org.uk
The wedding dress of Princess Charlotte Augusta as described in La Belle Assemblee magazine for May, 1816.
“As we have been gratified with a sight of the wedding dresses of this amiable and illustrious female, a particular yet concise account of them cannot but be acceptable to our fair readers. The Royal Bride, happy in obtaining him whom her heart had selected, and whom consenting friends approved, wore on her countenance that tranquil and chastened joy which a female so situated could not fail to experience.
Her fine fair hair, elegantly yet simply arranged, owed more to its natural beautiful wave than to the art of the friseur; it was crowned with a most superb wreath of brilliants, forming rosebuds with their leaves. Her dress was silver lama [lamé] on net, over a silver tissue slip, embroidered at the bottom with silver lama in shells and flowers. Body and sleeves to correspond, elegantly trimmed with point Brussels lace.
The manteau was of silver tissue lined with white satin, with a border of embroidery to answer that on the dress, and fastened in front with a splendid diamond ornament. Such was the bridal dress … The jewellery of the royal bride is most superb; beside the wreath, are a diamond cestus, ear- rings, and an armlet of great value, with a superb set of pearls.
Fashion Women 1815-1819 History Notes Book 28 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1815-1819
1800 ca. White Silk Reticule. Gathered into square top with filigree edge, piped with green satin. Embroidered with green velvet ivy sprays applied with gold couching. Lined with white silk. Handmade. bowesmuseum.org.uk http://books2read.com/suziloveReticules
1800 ca. White Silk Reticule. Gathered into square top with filigree edge, piped with green satin. Embroidered with green velvet ivy sprays applied with gold couching. Lined with white silk. Handmade. bowesmuseum.org.uk
The term ‘ridicule’ derived from the Latin ‘ridiculum’ and first used in France during the 17th century and meant subjecting something or someone to mockery. As women’s tiny bags were mocked, or ridiculed, for being a useless fashion accessory carried outside when they were first used in the late 1700s, it’s likely this is how the name ‘ridicule’ started. The later term ‘reticule’ derived from the Latin reticulum, meaning ‘netted bag’ and was applied when bags became larger and often made from netting. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, they were also known as indispensables as they carried all the personal items a lady needed upon her person every day. They were easily made by ladies, easy to carry and became an indispensable fashion accessory.
In the early nineteenth century, reticules started to look like future handbags as they were often made from rigid card or molded mâché or card into a variety of shapes. Early bags were circular and with a drawstring but as women wanted their reticules to look individual they could be made with two halves and a hinged metal closure or with concertina sides. Materials varied from silk, cotton and string and shapes were round, hexagonal or lozenge shapes with shell shaped bags becoming very popular during the Regency and Romantic Eras.
1800s magazines were written for well bred women who could read, so they gave plenty of ideas for how ladies could make and embellish reticules for their own use and as pretty gifts. Needlework was highly encouraged as a pastime for a lady so bags were frequently embroidered or decorated with beading. By the 1820s, reticules became more like our modern handbags using soft leather gathered at the top or hard leather with a rigid fastener and metal chain for carrying.
1811 The Five Positions Of Dancing. An analysis of Country Dancing and all the figures ever used in country dances, etc. By Thomas Wilson, London. The figures show the positions of the Larner and the feet of a finished Dancer during the early 1800s, or the years of the Bridgerton family, or during Jane Austen’s writing years in England. Via British Library, London, UK. www.bl.uk
1800-1815 ca. Vest, Or Waistcoat, French. Embroidery with spangles and a standing collar. Vests gave a layer of protection from the elements and a fashion arena, as early 1800s coats were either cutaway or designed to be left open in the front. Typical Style of Early 1800s Vest: Standing collar, straight cut, front pockets, heavily embroidered and with tiny spangles to accentuate. via Metropolitan Museum, N.Y.C., U.S.A. metmuseum.org
Typical of a gentleman’s waistcoat, or vest, worn during the early 1800s, or Regency Era, or Jane Austen’s times with a standing collar, straight cut, front pockets, and heavily embroidered with tiny spangles to accentuate.
Cheltenham Spa, England: Pittville Pump Room: Cheltenham is a famous spa town within easy reach of the Cotswolds in in the county of Gloucestershire, England, and was a popular Georgian and Regency spa town where one could rest and recuperate. It became famous as a Spa town following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the most complete Regency town in Britain. The Pittville Pump Room is an elegant Grade 1 listed Regency building and perhaps the most famous example of Regency architecture in Cheltenham, despite the town being filled Regency buildings. The Pittville Pump Room was the last and largest of the spa buildings to be built in Cheltenham.
Location: The Pump Room stands at one end of Pittville Park, about two miles from Cheltenham’s town centre, and is a monument to more than 100 years of fame which Cheltenham enjoyed as a Spa town. The building is set in beautiful parkland and is surrounded on three sides by a grand colonnade of ionic columns opening into the impressive hall with its domed ceiling and original crystal chandeliers. The park has extensive open lawns surrounded by trees and ornate bridges and pathways lead around the lakes where swans and ducks swim.
Cheltenham Tour Map. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.
History: The waters were first discovered in around 1715 on a site now occupied by Cheltenham Ladies’ College. In 1788 George III and Queen Charlotte came to take the waters and it was their visit that set the seal on Cheltenham’s future. After a visit to Cheltenham, a banker named Joseph Pitt commissioned the architect John Forbes to design a pump room that was to act as the centrepiece to his vision of a town to rival Cheltenham – a town he would call Pittville.
The foundation stone was laid on 4 May 1825 and the work completed in 1830. The laying of the foundation was celebrated by the ringing of the bells, firing of cannons, as well as a Masonic Procession which set out from the Masonic Hall in Portland Street. In the evening banquets were held at two of the town’s hotels and grand fireworks display was to be seen at Pittville. The building took five years to complete. Following disagreements between Forbes and the builder, a second architect, John Clement Mead from London, was employed to finish the interior. He designed the elaborate stoves which heated the building. The original official opening on 6th July, 1830 was postponed until 20th July, 1830 because of the death of George IV. A grand public breakfast and ball marked the occasion.
1830 Pittville Park. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. 1831 Pittville Park. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. 1834 View Of Pump House Outside Cheltenham. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Poster: Pittville Pump Room latest and grandest water spas built in Cheltenham.1820s Early Joseph Pitt, Banker.
Commissioned architect John Forbes to design a pump room
as centrepiece to his vision of a town to rival Cheltenham,
a town he would call Pittville.1825 May Foundation Stone laid for Pittville.
1830 Pittville completed.Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.
Building the Pump Room: The total cost of the project was over £40,000, and incredible price for that time. Like many bankers of his time, Pitt ran into financial difficulties, the building went out of favour and was sold in 1890 to the Borough of Cheltenham for £5,400, a fraction of the original cost. The building is decorated in Ionic style and the great hail reflects the genius of John Forbes with the spa opening on the north side and the gallery and dome surmounting the hall.
The grand building is 92 feet long by 43 feet, surrounded by a colonnade 13 feet wide the roof of which are supported by fluted Ionic columns 22 feet high. Along the facade stand three figures representing Aesculapius, Hygeia and Hippocrates, originally made by Lucius Gahagan of Bath. In its design, the building combines elements of both Greek and Roman architecture. It was modelled on the temple on Illisus in Athens, the engravings of which appeared in Stuart and Revett’s Antiquities of Athens (1762).
The inspiration for the dome probably came from the Panthenon in Rome. A large ballroom was situated on the ground floor where even today visitors can attend music concerts, dances and other events. With a capacity of 400 and remarkable acoustics, it is Cheltenham’s finest concert venue. The spa with an oval pump room to the rear of the building are still there for the visitors to enjoy, available from a marbled pump and counter. A reading room, library and billiard room occupied the first floor.
Third well pumped surface water and housed
the many pipes running the other wells. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Pump, Or Tabernacle, Opened in 1830.
Dispensed unique salty mineral rich water. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Looking down the well. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Two wells with side tunnels supplied spa water. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Diagram of the pump.Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. View from pump house upper level.Side View. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Rotunda. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Rotunda and exterior of building. Rotunda. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Ionic columns surrounding the Pump House. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Exterior with Ionic columns. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Exterior Brick and Windows. Pittville Pump House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.
Fashion History: “Cheltenham will be the summer village of all that is fashionable and all that is dignified; the residence of the royal ” family being a thing quite new so far from the metropolis . Already we hear of nothing but Cheltenham modes — the Cheltenham cap — the Cheltenham bonnets — the Cheltenham buttons — the Cheltenham buckles , in short all the fashions are completely Cheltenhamized throughout Great Britain.” via 1826 Griffith’s New Historical Description of Cheltenham and Its Vicinity.
Second World War: The Pump Room housed British and American army personnel, when dry rot was allowed to creep through the structure unchecked, and only after the war was the full extent of the damage revealed. Plaster, brickwork, timber: nearly everything had been affected. The dome was only held in position by a shell of plaster; the timber had been eaten away by the fungus.
The Duke of Wellington: Public subscriptions carne to the rescue, which were accompanied by Public Works grants and Historic Building Council contributions. A total of £43,250 was raised and by 1960 the building was partially restored to its former glory and reopened in 1960 by the Duke of Wellington. The old card room had been replaced by a new foyer, cloakrooms and second staircase, and heating and new lighting were in stalled.
Recent History: In 2003, the old Victorian wells were leaking and allowing ground water to dilute the natural mineral water so Pittville Pump Room no longer qualified as a spa and the well was shut down. The spa was then repaired and reopened so visitors can taste the only alkaline spa water in the country. The Pump Room’s old maple-strip floor was replaced with a stunning English oak floor, better flooring found for the ball room, and old pipes replaced. Nowadays the Pittville Pump Room is in use most days of the year for private and public functions and is one of Cheltenham’s most popular wedding venues. The venue is also used frequently by orchestras, choirs and chamber groups because it has stunning acoustics.
1815 June 15th ‘Behold at Brook’s Club, London. By George Cruikshank. Sir Thomas Stepney standing under the porch of Brooks’s Club in St. James’s Street, London. Double door with glass panels is behind him. Right hand in his breeches pocket, round hat with low crown, double-breasted tail-coat, double-breasted waistcoat, small stock, knee-breeches, and striped stockings with pumps. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
Caricatures were pasted to the windows of newspapers and shops in the Era of Jane Austen and the Bridgertons.
What sort of carriages were used in the early 1800s, or Regency Era, or during Jane Austen’s lifetime?
Carriage Line Drawing. Photo Editing by Suzi Love ~ suzilove.com via Pearson Scott Foresman donation to Wikimedia Commons.RL_1_D2D_Regency Overview RetailerLinks
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1810 Silk Brocade Waistcoat. Cream silk twill with a polychrome floral brocade stripe having narrow double breast, fold-down collar and wide lapel, black wool-covered buttons, straight pockets, cotton back and lining. The gentlemen of Jane Austen’s acquaintance would have worn waistcoats like this. via Christie’s Auction Rooms. christies.com
1800s Early Women’s Half Boots, British, as worn by Jane Austen and her family and the Bridgerton ladies. Walking was encouraged for women so lace-up half-boots became a popular replacement for flimsy slippers for outdoor wear. Made of nankeen, a durable, yellow-colored, natural cotton from China or from colored leather. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk
In Bridgerton and Jane Austen years, people were encouraged to partake in outdoor pursuits to maintain good health so walking became a daily pastime. Fragile slippers were worn for balls and evening events but for walking sturdier shoes were needed, In the early 1800s, these were typically made of leather, had a very small heel, slightly rounded toes and were laced up on the top.
